Stranger than Love
by FallingStars101
Summary: What if the fate of the world wasn't just all on Naruto? What if there was someone else? What if this someone else was a princess who knew nothing about who she was? Her parent's were murdered at age six and ever since, it seems like it's just one thing after another. What's a girl to do? Is she really the one in the prophecy?
1. Death! Unwelcome Greetings

**CHAPTER ONE: _Death! Unwelcome Greetings __  
_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

The rising sun rests over the rolling hills of Sunagakure. The angling of the sun casting long shadows across the dry desert sand.  
As the sun rose higher, dry heat filled the air, replacing the cool desert night.

Off to the west, out of the city, resting in the shadow of the largest Suna sand dune lay the beautiful temple of the Shinaho family. The outer walls were high, to cast their own shadows, each wall decorated proudly with the clans symbol. As the sun light slowly began to hit the Shinaho walls, the water dragons seemed to dance, and shimmer in the light.

Inside the walls, was the traditional Japanese style mansion of a famous, royal clan.

In the yard, the Shinaho prince stood battle ready, Kunai in his hand and a smile on his face.  
The man's daughter stood just feet away from him, breathing heavily.

He was sure she would have given up hours ago, but once he saw the sun begin to rise, he was extremely surprised. His daughter was more determined that he had anticipated.

"Yuuma, don't work our daughter too hard! She is still just a child!" Princess, Kairi Shinaho shouted through the kitchen window.

Akari growled. "I am not a child, mama!"

Yuuma laughed whole heartedly. His daughter was such a bright light in his life. He closed his eyes and became so consumed in his laughing fit, that he hadn't noticed the glint in his daughter's eyes.  
Akari ran full force towards her father and jumped at him, pushing him to the ground and sitting on his chest.  
Yuuma let out a loud 'oomph" and before he could react, she snatched the kunai from his hand and giggled.

"Rule Number One, daddy: Never let your guard down."

Yuuma laughed again. "You're right, darling. Now how about we go get something to eat, yeah?"

The child jumped off her father and ran into the house, yelling how she had beaten her daddy, again. He smiled at his six year old. He would never understand how children had so much energy.

As he entered the kitchen, he kissed his wife, as was the daily ritual. Early morning training till the sun rose, kissing the love of his life, send his daughter off to school, and then go to work.  
"This is the life." He murmured against his wife's lips.

Akari starred down at the table, seemingly not noticing her father's and mother's show of affection.

"You know, mommy, one day I am going to be a kunoichi! One of the best ever! I'll even be stronger then papa!"

Kairi looked at her husband, and said, very seriously, "I know, darling."

Akari hadn't noticed the seriousness in her mother's eyes, nor had she noticed her father's sad look.  
Rather, the oblivious child continued starring at the table in wonder.

"I say it's time for a history lesson." Yuuma declared, still looking at his wife. His attention turned to his daughter, erasing the sad expression from his face before catching her attention.

"Aka, do you know where mommy is from?"

Akari nodded her head slowly, not taking her eyes from the table. "From Sunaga…ga-ga-kure." She found it hard to say the name, but she seemed to see the word, in her mind, spelled out on the table and sounded it out slowly.

"Yes, Aka. And where are we from?"

"Sunagakure." Akari answered, this time not needing to sound it out.

Yuuma smiled at his daughter. "How I wish you were right." He said more to himself then to her.

"Aka, look at me."  
Akari looked up at her father, wondering why he would need her to turn her fascination away from the table.

"I need you to listen very carefully, okay?"

Akari simply nodded, starring her father down.

"We are from Konohagakure. Can you say that?"

"Uh… uh huh." She nodded. "Ko...no...ha…gakure?" she smiled. "I like that name. Konohagakure!"

Yuuma smiled. "Yes. It's the village hidden in the leaves. Our family came from their many years ago, understand?"

Akari nodded, as a question formed on her tongue. "If we are from Konohagakure, then why are we here?"

Kairi and Yuuma laughed at their daughter's straightforwardness. "Kairi, I think she takes after you the most in personality."  
Kairi giggled. "I will believe that when she falls in love and then punches the boy in the face."

Kairi had been referring to her own relationship with Yuuma. When they had first met, she instantly fell in love. But then he opened that mouth of his, and she punched his face, hard.

Yuuma and Kairi both turned back to the six year old, who starred at them curiously. "Well?" she demanded.

Kairi was the first to give. "You see, darling. A man was after the clan for their powers." Akari looked at her mother quizzically.

"Mama, you weren't there. I want daddy to tell me."

Kairi sighed. Maybe her daughter was just like her; blunt and always wanting to keep her facts straight.

Yuuma repeated something similar to what his wife said, adding at the end, "You are a princess, dear. Our clan is of a royal lineage. We have decided not to take a direct line of power, for our own protection, but if we see a Kage is unfit, we do have the right to take over their position. Any of us could also become a futile lord. Because of our power, many people are after us. So, you grandparents decided to leave Konoha, to throw them off our trail. You understand?"

Akari put a finger to her chin as she looked up towards the ceiling, thinking hard. "Hmmm…" she thought.  
Deciding she understood, at least most of what her father said, she threw her fist in the air and gave a shout. "Yup!"

"Good." Yuuma gave a closed eyed smile as he ruffled his daughter's hair.  
"We are telling you this, Akari, because we are worried about you."

Akari looked at her father, puzzled. "Don't worry papa! Nothing bad is gonna happen. I am going to be the best kunoichi ever, one day! Maybe I'll even become a Kage or a lord-thingy!"

Yuuma couldn't help the smile that took over his face. No matter how worried he was, no matter the stories or the rumors, he couldn't help but smile at the girl who made his world shine.

Kairi grunted, mumbling something about the time, when Yuuma finally caught on.

"Now, I suggest you get off to school. Wouldn't want to miss out on your training. You want to be the greatest kunoichi, yeah?" Kairi asked, referring to her daughter.

"Yeah!" Akari shouted jumping from the table. She was still in her training clothes, that her dad had given her. Black pants and a black shirt that rested over mesh armor. She had wraps on her ankles, wrists and waist. There was also a wrap, underneath the mesh armor, that ran all the way up her neck till it was just under her chin.  
Akari ran to the front of the complex, throwing her shoes on as she went.

"I'll see you later, mama, papa! I love you!"

She barely heard her parents call out, "I love you, too." As she ran straight out of the Shinaho complex and straight to the school.

Akari was among one of the most naturally talented students in the Academy, as was stated constantly, by her teachers; and the Shinaho families captain of the guard, Aguri.  
Also, Aguri was her favorite, out of all the teachers at the academy.

Aguri had taken the job, originally so he could keep an eye on the heir to the clan and young child princess. An order that was sent out by Yuuma, himself.  
Although Aguri grew to love the job, he hated the reasoning why.  
His duty was to the entire clan, not just one member who couldn't even reach his hip, yet.  
He felt that his friend was simply paranoid, if anything. But, he couldn't argue with the prince, and he most certainly wasn't about to say he was wrong. In fact, Yuuma was perfectly correct in his reasoning.

Akari ran into the classroom, just as the bell rang and sat in her seat.

"Hi, Aguri-san! I would've been here earlier but papa wanted to tell me something! It won't happen again." Akari stated, stretching her arms in front of her as she leaned back in her seat with a lazy grin.  
Aguri smiled at the child and nodded. He'd heard her say that before, and no matter what, she never kept that promise. The child princess was so much like her mother, and yet, carried her father's genes. Her dark brown hair, lined with auburn and blonde highlights, and her rusty bronze eyes were just like her fathers. So much so, that if her hair had been shorter, she would have looked just like Yuuma had, as a child.

Akari brushed her long, wavy hair back; feeling annoyed with it and pulled it into a ponytail.

She listened half intently as her sensei began to speak, taking semi-careful notes of what he said.

"Today class, we are going to discuss how to handle your chakra output. If you use too much, you waist it, if you use too little, the jutsu fails. The point of this is to teach you how to let out the right amount of chakra. Once you can do that, you can do just about any jutsu."

Several kids in the class became increasingly more fascinated, eyes growing wide and mouth forming a large 'O' shape.  
Akari, on the other hand, had been through all of this before.

She wrote what he said, as he spoke, just to spite herself, out of boredom.  
_ "Papa already taught me this." _She grumbled.

She sighed, quietly as she began to zone out.

She stared out the window, seeing grey and sand colored clouds gathering together miles out.

"_Hm… a sand storm. I hope I can make it home before it hits." _

She had remembered hearing adults talking about how a dangerous man was roaming free, at the moment, and she really wanted to be trapped at home, if she had to be trapped anywhere at this point. _"I wonder…" _

"Akari-hime, please, pay attention." Aguri asked, in exasperation.

"Sorry, Aguri-san."

Aguri's hardened face softened considerably as he looked at the girl. "Right."

Aguri continued the lesson, as Akari feigned interest, knowing full well Aguri hadn't really cared that she had been zoning out, and that he had said anything because it was a requirement as a teacher.

Hours passed quickly, as she became lost in her day dreaming.  
_"We are told, from a young age, what a ninja should be. We are taught to protect what is most precious to us. To find our nindo—our ninja way." _

She had just begun her inspirational speech when her day dream had been interrupted. "Alright class, you can go home now."

Akari got up from her chair and ran out of the classroom as fast as she could.

She was determined to get home as soon as possible, so her mother could help her write her future speech.

"_I want to let you all know, that men are not the strongest. Those men do not have some kind of power over us. Kunoichi can be as great as or greater than any Shinobi." _

In her head, a silent round of clapping began, as she made a pause for her words to sink in.

"_We are the next generation. We are what will make this world, in one way or another." _

She giggled, at that thought. Her mother had said that her father once.

As she continued her internal speech, she finally made it to the front gate. "Home!" she shouted happily.

She ran through the gate, and to the front door. "Mama!" she shouted as she pulled her shoes off. "I came up with my famous kunoichi speech today! It's perfect." She giggled.

"We are the future!" she shouted, looking at the ground as she slid open the rice paper door.

"We will make this world, one way or ano—." Her words were cut short as she took in the sight, her mouth left agape.

She would have screamed, but her throat constricted so tightly to the point she couldn't breathe.

There was blood covering the floor, a thick trail leading to a body and moving to the next room.  
She ran to the heap of skin, and rolled the bloody figure to see its face.

"_Please, oh god, please… don't be…" _

"Papa!" she cried, hugging the dead man tightly. She cried into her deceased fathers shirt, screaming through her sobs, roughly, not caring that his blood was now matted into her hair and her clothes.  
She heard a crash coming from the other room, and a growl. She stood in a battle ready stance, quickly.

"_They're still here…" _

Silently, as she had been taught, she crawled along the side of the blood trail that lead into the other room. She kept her body low to the floor, in the hopes she would go unnoticed.

She reached the corner, where the blood trail turned into the living room, and snuck her face just beyond the edge of the wall.

Her eyes widened even further, as she took in the sight. Her mother was bloody but still breathing. A tall man had a hand wrapped tightly around the older princesses' neck. Kairi hadn't been fighting.

Suddenly, Akari stood up, losing control of her body, and walked into the room.

She was angry, she was scared and she was sad. "Put her down!" Akari demanded.

"Aka…" Kairi murmured.

Kairi's bright blue eyes flashed with something unintelligible as her eyes darkened to a steel grey.

The man's attention turned to the young voice who had presumably addressed him, and Kairi took her chance.  
She filled her hand with chakra and punched her fist to his skin. Not even a second after she made contact, her hand cut through his skin. He let Kairi go, with a shriek of pain.

Without a second thought, Kairi pushed past the man, and ran for her daughter.  
_ "She has to know." _Kairi thought.

Kairi threw her hand out, just as the bounty hunter got back to his feet.

"_Almost there!"_

The hunter reached his hand out and grabbed Kairi's wrist to prevent the transfer jutsu, but he was too late. Kairi's hand brushed Akari's and suddenly every thought in Kairi's mind and the thoughts Yuuma left before he died, flooded the young girls mind.

The hunter grabbed for his knife and slammed it into the woman's spine, as the killing blow. She fell to the ground with a scream, as her daughter followed after.

"She passed out from shock." He muttered, starring at the child who had interrupted his fun.

He looked down at the bloodied woman who was still moving. "I am amazed you are still alive." He stated, watching Kairi in curiosity.

The elder Shinaho clan member crawled to her daughter, dragging her legs behind her and leaving a pool of blood.  
Her hands were shaky as she reached out to her daughters face, gently.

She brushed the child's hair back and smiled at the angelic face she saw. Akari looked so much like her father, and yet, also resembled her mother. _"You're lucky to not have gotten my black hair or blue eyes." _she thought, running her hands through the wavy streaks of hair.  
She could see it in her child's face. _"She is the one they talk about. She will become something extraordinary." _  
Her daughter was destined for greatness.  
Greatness that she knew would be achieved. A greatness that could kill her.

But her daughter would become great.  
"Forgive me." Kairi whispered as her hand fell to the ground, leaving behind a deafening silence.

Deciding the woman was finally dead, the hunter walked to the child, knife still in hand.

He nudged the little girl with his foot, rousing her from her shock induced sleep.  
The young princess looked up at him, with one bronze eye opened, lip trembling, but holding a determined glare.

T he man above her wore a dark smirk, and his tiny slit eyes sparked evil. He had two vertical scars running over both eyes, and a dark deep scar running horizontally across the left side of his face.

She would have hated him by his look alone, not to mention what he had done.

The man's smirk grew and he opened his mouth to speak.

"I won't kill you, yet. You're power isn't raw enough. But be warned child."

The bounty hunter stepped on Kairi's limp hand, to emphasize what he meant.

"This will be your fate."

The scarred man made his way to the door, when Akari spoke.

"What is your name?" she asked, staring at the ceiling lip no longer trembling.

The man smirked and looked towards the sky in thought.

"I am Hayato of the Hidden Cloud."

And with that, the man disappeared.

After that, Akari fell into a deep silence.

It was three days later, that anybody bothered to look for the Shinaho princess.


	2. Lullaby! Bathe in Blood

**CHAPTER TWO: _Lullaby! Bathe in Blood__  
_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_"I am Hayato of the Hidden Cloud."_

_And with that, the man disappeared. _

_After that, Akari fell into a deep silence. _

_It was three days later, that anybody bothered to look for the Shinaho princess._

_~0000000000~ _

She was found four days later by her sensei, Aguri, who had become troubled at her absences.

Her parent's most often would leave a note, declaring why she wouldn't be attending, but when none came, the man began to worry.  
He ran to Shinaho household, as soon as school let out that day.

When he arrived, he found Akari lying on the floor, hugging her mother's corpse tightly.  
Akari was wide awake, not having slept since the day Hayato left.

Her body was covered by the bugs—that had smelled the deceased—and in the blood of her parents. Her hair was matted to her face, and her clothes resembled that of a blood red, wrinkled sphinx.

He attempted to lift her away from her mother's withering body, but the poor child clung on harder. She wouldn't let go.  
Eventually, Aguri called for reinforcements, and had the child sedated by a medic.  
Once the child was asleep, he untangled her from the mess and carried her away from the house.

He stopped at the front of the home, and looked to a young chunin, sitting on the sidelines.

"You," Aguri addressed the teenager. "Order for several other chunin to come here and clean the place up. I want you, personally, to pack the child's things and bring them to my house. Understand?"  
The chunin's body stiffened at the acknowledgement of the jonin. Gaining control of his wits, he nodded. "Sir!"

Aguri left without another word.

Once he arrived at his apartment, he put the princess down on the couch and quickly began to dispel the girls ruined clothes. He knew it was her favorite outfit, as it had been a gift from her father.  
"I'll have to get her a new one."

He heard a soft groan leave the girls lips and looked to her drowsy face.  
She was beginning to wake.

Akari opened one eye, to look up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"_What happened?"_ she wondered. _"Did Hayato kidnap me? Am I dead? My… my parents…" _

Akari's eyes widened in shock and she sat up abruptly, knocking her head harshly against Aguri's.  
They both let out a pained groan.

Aguri looked to Akari's face with a smile, but Akari never returned it. She simply just stared at him, or as it felt, through him.

Her eyes were glazed over making their color a less vibrant, more greyish color. She seemed to skim his face thoroughly, searching for any kind of defect.

All she could see, though, was her father's face, smiling at her like he always did.

And then she saw his bloodied, crippled body on the floor.

Akari screamed.

Aguri, not thinking, covered the girl's mouth with his hand, hoping to silence her.  
Out of repeated fear and shock she felt only days before, she bit his hand.

"Ouch!" Aguri growled. He covered the girl's eyes with one hand, and put two fingers to his lips with the other.

"Lullaby Jutsu." He murmured.

Akari instantly settled down, mouth open, but silent.

He removed his hand from her face, and saw her eyes were no longer glazed over, but were now the bright bronze he had come to adore.

Akari's vision faded in and out as she blinked. Her vision was blurred and she squinted her eyes, struggling to see the man in front of her.

For only a moment, she was worried Hayato may have come back, after all.  
But after a few quick blinks, her vision began to clear, and she came face to face with someone familiar; Aguri.

Aguri sighed in relief, seeing the recognition in Akari's eyes.

"How do you feel?" Aguri nearly slapped himself for asking such a stupid question.  
_"She feels like crap, you idiot." _

He watched Akari's face for a response, with hopeful eyes. Her face, as he watched, only remained stoic and blank.  
Aguri's eyes saddened, only slightly, as he let out a shaky breathe. "Let's get you clean."

Akari hadn't clearly heard what Aguri had said, nor did she care. She felt his fingers brush against her arms, as he removed her clothes, almost too gently.  
Her body was completely numb and unresponsive.

Aguri finished un-wrapping the bandages that adorned the young child's body and put them off to the side.  
Akari's body remained slack as he carried her, first towards the kitchen, to grab a cup, and then towards the bathroom, so he could clean her.

Aguri set her down on the toilet seat, as he filled the tub with warm water.  
He checked it over and over again to make sure it wasn't too hot for the six year old.

Once the tub was full, he gently sat her down in the warm water.  
Akari didn't seem to mind the temperature, or his touch, as he began to scrub her down with soap and water.

To Aguri's relief, most of the blood had been soaked up into her clothes, and the blood in her hair was only a thin layer, not nearly as thick as it appeared.  
He put some soap into his hands, and thoroughly massaged it into the child's scalp, attempting to get rid of any residue left behind.  
His fingers got caught in knots and tangles, and the caked blood that was spattered through her hair.

He grabbed the cup he brought from the kitchen and pulled the girls head back slightly, so he could rinse out her hair.  
He watched as the water turned a slightly pink color, from the blood that had made contact with her body.

"I should have been there." He muttered words unheard by the six year old child.  
"I could have stopped this from happening."

Aguri's eyes began to prickle, as he felt the tears trying to escape.  
He ran a shaky hand over the girls head, whispering words she would never know he said.  
"I am so, so sorry, Akari."

He felt several tears hit his thigh, and gripped at his leg tightly.

"_I am so useless." _He thought.

Akari blinked her eyes, as her body began to become responsive again. She felt a weight on her arms and moved them, as she felt the water around her gently move against her body.  
She remembered seeing Aguri's face before, and came to the conclusion that she was most likely still with him.

She looked up, to in fact, see Aguri sitting beside the tub, with his face looking down.

She remained silent as she stared at him, no emotion on her face.

After a moment, Aguri gained back his composure and stood up.  
He looked down, into the eyes of a stoic Akari.

He smiled gently at her. "Well, look at you." He said. "I'd say you look like a pretty little princess."

Akari began to stand up, tired of the warm water, and Aguri helped her to her feet.  
She wobbled, slightly, (not having stood on her own in days) as Aguri wrapped her quickly in a towel and picked her up, before she had the chance to fall.

When Aguri reached the bedroom, he gently set Akari down on the bed, as he reached for the light on the bed side table.  
The light flooded the room, and Akari shielded her eyes for a brief moment.

Aguri rummaged through his closet, until he found a small bag of clothes for Akari.  
Before, Akari was often sent to stay with him, while her parents were off on missions.  
Aguri sighed at the memory as he pulled out the clothes.

He helped Akari stand, as he pulled the girl's underwear and shorts on.  
He sat her back down, as he fought to pull the girls arms and head through her long sleeve shirt.

Aguri had finally succeeded in getting Akari's shirt on properly, when there was a knock at the door.  
Gently, he picked Akari up and sat her on his hip, so it was easier to walk.

Akari's small arms curled around his neck as she held on to him tightly.

Aguri pulled the door open to see the face of the young chunin he had earlier addressed.

The boy lifted his hand to show a large bag and had a grin on his face.  
"Mission complete, sir!"

Aguri grumbled as he snatched the bag and slammed the door.  
The loud sound made Akari flinch slightly, but she remained silent.

"Okay, Aka. What do you say you and I go on a mission of our own?"

Akari starred down at the floor as Aguri walked back to his room.

"But first, let's finish getting you ready. I remember you don't go anywhere without at least having your wrists and ankles bandaged."

He grabbed some wrappings from a drawer by his bed, and slowly wrapped the bandages up Akari's legs. Then, he wrapped the bandages around her hand, and up her wrists, to her elbow.

Looking at her attire, Aguri decided she was fully dressed.

"Can you walk?"

Akari had only looked at Aguri twice, since she had been found. The first time, just after she hallucinated, the second, when her body had finally become responsive.  
But at that question, her eyes snapped up from looking at the floor, to stare directly into his eyes.  
Aguri could have sworn he saw the fire in her eyes, that he knew meant a challenge.  
The fire was only there for a second, but he couldn't help but smirk at the reaction he had managed to get out of the girl. Akari looked back at the ground, quickly.

"That's the girl I know. A princess full of fire."

Aguri patted her head, and took her hand, slowly pulling Akari to her feet.

Akari felt her legs wobble, almost as if they were trying to give out, but she wouldn't allow that.  
For a second, she felt her legs go numb, and she glared at her legs, as if commanding them to behave. Soon after, feeling came back to her.  
Her legs stopped wobbling and she dropped Aguri's hand, which had still been holding hers.

She could do this on her own.

She started moving, taking a small step forward, watching where her foot touched the floor. She nearly lost her footing, but Aguri grabbed her arm to hold her up.  
He smiled at her gently, urging her on, though Akari never saw it with all her attention focused on her legs.  
Akari felt her mouth flinch, as if she were trying to form a smile, but all she managed was a grimace.

She took another, slight step forward, but this time, managed to stand up straight on her own.

She took another step, and felt surer of her ability to stand then before.

"That's my girl!" Aguri congratulated. "Now, off to that mission of ours, shall we? We have a bit of a ways to walk, so tug my sleeve if you get too tired to move. Okay?"

Akari looked directly at him, like before, to signal her response. _"Okay." _


	3. Acquaintances! Roads of Fate

**CHAPTER THREE: _Acquaintances! __Roads of Fate_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_She took another step, and felt surer of her ability to stand then before._

_"That's my girl!" Aguri congratulated. "Now, off to that mission of ours, shall we? We have a bit of a ways to walk, so tug my sleeve if you get too tired to move. Okay?"_

_Akari looked directly at him, like before, to signal her response._ _"Okay."_

_~000000000~_

"The Kazekage will see you now." Spoke the auburn haired woman, at the desk.

Aguri had taken the girl on a long walk, all the way to the Kazekage's office.  
He was currently hoping that if he sweet talked and guilt tripped the man enough, he would eventually give, and look after the Shinaho princess.  
The child deserved the best possible care, and although Aguri adored her, he knew he would never be enough to protect her.

And the Kazekage had everything he could possibly need to protect both the girl and the city.  
Not to mention the fourth had been friends of Yuuma and Kairi. It was known to happen from time to time, where they would get together, and let the kids play.  
But that had been before Karura died.

Afterwards, Temari still came around, to babysit Akari, while Kankuro and Gaara tagged along.

Honestly, Aguri wasn't even sure how the man would react to the proposition.

Aguri looked to the child he had brought with him and touched her head gently.  
She had become unresponsive again, as soon as they made it into the building, so he knew she wouldn't hear him, but he talked to her anyway.

"I'll be back in a minute, alright? I need you to stay here, just for a little while. If you need anything, or if anything goes wrong, the nice lady at the desk will bring you to me. Okay?"

Akari hadn't heard a word, and just continued starring at the ground, as if the sand stone pattern was something unique.

"Bring her in, if she has a break down." Aguri spoke, turning his attention to the woman at the desk.

The clerk nodded, as Aguri walked away. _"God, I hope he will take her in. At least the child is familiar with his kids."  
_

Aguri turned the corner and walked straight to a large set of doors. He knocked once, but didn't wait for a response as he pushed the door open.

"You asked to see me?" The fourth Kazekage asked, never looking up from his paperwork.

"I believe you heard about the Shinaho clan?" Aguri asked.

"They are all dead." The fourth stated, dryly.

"Eh, heh…" Aguri scratched the back of his head shyly. "The girl survived."

This caught the Kazekage's attention, as he put his papers down.

~Meanwhile~

Akari sat in the large chair, sitting completely straight. She was unable to touch the floor, or the back of the chair, so she had sat deliberately in the middle. Her legs hung comfortably below her, as her back remained stiff and straight.

As soon as she had sat down, her body became like stone. She was unable to move and was unaware of what went on around her.

She could hear faint whispering, that sounded like Aguri, but she never understood what he said.

One sensation, that had not been claimed by the unique form of paralysis, was feeling. She could feel everything clear as day.

It was almost like a blind person, when their senses are heightened. But imagine, being blind, virtually deaf, and unable to move. Her sense of feeling was heightened to an extreme.

So, when Aguri finally left, she knew.

"I'll be back in a minute..." was all she had been able to make of Aguri's quick little speech, and she trusted it.

It didn't help knowing that she couldn't have ran away, even if she wanted to. She was becoming increasingly more annoyed by the situation.

_"I've got to break this..." _she thought, unaware of the presence looming over her.

Her thought process and plans to break the annoying paralysis was broken when she felt something slick and slimy run over her leg. Something brushed against her shoulder just seconds after.

Akari groaned out, in her head._ "That is just nasty." _

She felt something touch the side of her neck, and then slither away, down onto the arm of the chair.

A voice seemed to hiss at her, as it spoke. _"Come with me, princess. I will show you something." _

Akari's head snapped up, as her body finally began to obey her.  
She looked around the room, to find the body belonging to the voice, or the thing that had slithered on her leg.

The room had grown extremely dark, to the point she could hardly see.  
After a moment of assessing the room, she considered the idea that she may be hallucinating again.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to break the possible hallucination.

_"You aren't imagining it, hime." _

Her eyes snapped open, and she let out a slight gasp.  
Her deceiving eyes spotted something green crawling along the ground.

_"Show yourself." _Akari demanded, unwilling to speak aloud, for fear that she truly was imaging it. Besides, he seemed to hear her thoughts.  
Out of the shadows came a tiny little lizard.

The lizard crawled up her leg, and she felt the slightering, slimy feeling again. _"It was you." Akari realized. _

The lizard seemed to smile at her as he let out a hiss. _"My master wishes to see you. Follow me, Akari-hime." _

Akari slowly began to stand, legs wobbling slightly, after the muscles had finally loosened from the strange form of paralysis she continually suffered from.  
She followed closely behind the lizard, and disappeared into the shadows.

~Back to the office~

"Really?" Aguri asked, feeling extremely pleased with his success.

"Make the preparations and bring her by five o'clock tonight. I will most likely still be here, but I will inform my oldest, Temari, of this change."

Aguri nodded and bowed, gratefully. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama."

The man behind the desk waved him off as he went back to his paper work. Aguri left quickly, nearly skipping out the door at his success.  
He remembered that he brought the princess with him, and settled down as best as he could, so he wouldn't scare the child.

Once calm, he walked back around the corner he'd originally come through and into the large room.

The first thing he noticed, was the room seemed to be darker then before.

The second thing he noticed, was that the woman on the desk was no longer there.

And finally, the room was utterly and completely empty.

He ran to the desk, and slammed his hand down on the bell. Receiving no answer, he punched it again, and again.

After slamming it three more times, he leaned over the desk to see the desk area in complete disarray.

The chair had been flipped over, the papers were scattered everywhere, and there was a dark puddle on the floor.  
Rounding the desk, the auburn woman came into view.

He gasped in shock and disgust.

The auburn haired clerk, who had been beautiful, was now slashed from the chest down. Her hair was matted thickly with blood, and her clothes were disheveled and spread out aimlessly.

Aguri walked steadily to her side and touched her slender neck, gently, checking for a pulse.  
Aguri let out a slight groan. "She is dead."

Aguri called for help, and waited patiently for someone to come.

Eventually, another Jonin came.

"Hey, I heard you were taking care of the Princess? Good on you." Said the brunette haired man, turning to Aguri as he cleaned the desk area.

Aguri's eyes went wide. "Shit!"  
He pushed past the fellow jonin and ran straight out the door.

_"She couldn't have gotten to far..." _He thought. _"It's been only an hour. She couldn't have gotten far out of the village."  
_

Aguri wrote a quick note, and gave it to his sand clone. "Get this to the Kazekage." he commanded.

As the clone ran back towards the building, Aguri ran straight for the main gate. _"God, please let her be okay." _

~Miles from the village~

"Come, child. I don't have all day." A man growled out, tugging lightly on a rope.  
Akari jerked forward, ever so slightly at the tug.

"Grandfather, why do I have to be tied?" The princess asked, pulling at the uncomfortable rope that had been tied around her abdomen.  
She was just grateful her arms were free, and she could still move freely.

"I told you, hime, I want to protect you. I can't risk you wandering off on your own."

Akari looked up from the rope she had been playing with, to take a good look at the man she had come to see.  
He seemed so extremely old, to the young child.

His hair was graying, his face and hands were wrinkled, and if it weren't for his size, and the strength he had shown several times, on their long walk, she would have even suggested he was frail.

"Yes, grandfather, I know. Well, can you tell me where we are going?"

The man sighed, growing increasingly more annoyed with the girls curiosity.

He had thrown her into a special genjutsu. One that showed her what her heart most desired.

To Akari, her parent's were still alive.

He had wanted the child to be as willing to work with him as possible. But since she had become so extremely talkative, he had begun to regret it. _"I could have left them alone. This child would have talked them to death." _He chuckled darkly to himself.

"Grandfather?"

Akari had stopped in the middle of the dirt road, just behind the man. She had run to catch up, so that she wouldn't land flat on her face if he kept walking.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the girl.

He gave a tug on the rope, pulling it harder then before, which forced the girl to take a large step forward.

With no further encouragement, she continued walking, waiting silently for her grandfather to respond.

As a form of distraction, she took in the area around her. They were walking down a long dirt road, that was lined on either side by tall grass.  
They had taken a long road, that was said to be a shortcut and had them out of the village within an hour.

Although she had no idea where she was, Akari was enthralled with the area surrounding her.  
It was just so different from Suna.

The dry heat of the desert had left long ago, and as the sun began to set, she could feel a cool gentle breeze take over.

The old man looked down at the ground as he calculated and predicted what would be the best thing to tell the young and intelligent princess.  
He kicked a rock from under his feet, and watched as it rolled along the dirt and sand.

Bending down, he picked the rock up between to fingers and crushed it gently.

He decided there was no harm in telling her the truth.  
"We are going to a lake, hime."

"Oh! That's exciting! I know we left mama and papa behind, but are they going to meet us there? We could have a picnic and papa could take me fishing!" Akari exclaimed with a grin.

She felt extremely happy, getting to see her parents again. It was like they'd never been gone.

_"Wait, where would they have gone?" _She wondered. _"Oh, what's it matter?" _

She hadn't realized she had stopped walking until she was pulled to the floor, landing on her face.

"Akari, please try to keep up. I don't have all the time in the world! We have to try and get their before your parents." He shouted, feeding into the genjutsu. "I made a bet with your father that we would get there first!"

She giggled, remembering that her father and grandfather constantly made bets. That was, until he had gone missing a year ago. But, somehow, he was able to make it back.

"I am really glad you're back, ojii-chan!" She smiled, brightly.

"Yes, child." The man murmured, eyes glinting with something dark. "So am I."


	4. Trapped! A Spark of Hate

**CHAPTER FOUR: _Trapped! A Spark of Hate_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_She giggled, remembering that her father and grandfather constantly made bets. That was, until he had gone missing a year ago. But, somehow, he was able to make it back._

_"I am really glad you're back, ojii-chan!" She smiled, brightly._

_"Yes, child." The man murmured, eyes glinting with something dark. "So am I."  
_

~00000000~

Akari had been released from the confines of the rope, after two days on the road.

The young child had returned to her former personality; all honesty, brutalness and utter kindness.  
He originally thought that her kindness towards him was a farce, but as the days passed and their long hours spent together brought them closer, he realized that she being genuine—the genjutsu brought about what ever they most greatly desired, and with so many things in the true world being accurate, he knew she most likely couldn't tell the difference, and didn't have the heart to tell herself it was false.

"_She is so much like Kairi." _He thought, watching as the child picked some flowers, giggling.

They had been walking non-stop for hours, and the gray haired man was becoming tired, though he would have denied it if asked.

Akari hadn't paid much notice to the halt in their walk, as she had been picking flowers and counting their petals.

Akari looked up, to see they were currently stationary, and allowed her thoughts to escape her. "I don't think I understand why we stopped, grandfather."  
Her grandfather was now sitting on top of a semi large boulder, watching over the surrounding area carefully. "I thought we were racing to get to the lake?"

The old man laughed, gently at her forwardness. "That's true. But we are already a day ahead of schedule. I thought we could use a break."

Akari nodded as she picked up a handful of pink flowers. "That makes sense."  
Akari put her pile of pink flowers down by the base of a large tree and ran out to collect another handful, this time, of purple flowers.

Ryuu watched in fascination as the young child began to take her different colored flowers and make a small circle on the tree. She used her purple flowers first, filling the circle in.  
Then she picked up the pink flowers and delicately put a ring around the circle she had created.

_"She seems to be making a bulls-eye..." _

His thoughts were interrupted when Akari stood directly in front of him, holding out her hand. "Kunai, please?"

The elderly man raised a brown-grey brow, wondering what she was planning to do with the weapon.

He knew the genjutsu was incredibly successful, so she didn't suspect him, but the child was still mischievous and he wondered if she had some kind of a trick up her sleeve.

He gave her a heavy stare, testing her and daring her to try something. The child never even flinched as she starred into his dull hazel eyes.

Finally, he broke.

"Here." He sighed in defeat, handing her the kunai he carried in his sleeve.

She took the weapon in her hand, and skipped away gleefully.  
Hazel eyes watched as the six year old princess stopped feet away from the tree.

Akari's eyes rolled down her legs, following the path of dirt, all the way to the base of the tree. Her bronze eyes stopped on the flower bulls-eye she had created.

She angled herself, slightly, and tested herself as she faked a throw.

Deciding she wasn't far enough, she slid her foot against the dirt, showing the dark brown underneath the light colored, thin top layer.

She spread her feet apart, and loosened her body. She closed her eyes as she took in the world around her.

Her grandfather watched, with wondering eyes. He knew what she was doing, but it was odd how she was doing it. Most would go straight for it. Most wouldn't wait to pull themselves together. Yet, the small child waited, listened, and finally, she attacked.

Her eyes remained closed as sharp black weapon left her hand, with deadly accuracy.

It hit the tree with a thud.

Akari peaked one eye open to see that the kunai had hit her flower bulls-eye directly in the center.  
Most of the other flowers began to fall of the tree from the vibration of her throw, but the flower under the kunai was held by a single petal.

"_She is good…" _

He smiled at Akari as she jumped up into the air with her fist raised. "Yeah!" She shouted. "That's what I am talking about! Everyone out there, you just wait! I am going to be the biggest, baddest Kunoichi there ever was!"

"_She is a miniature version of her mother… other than her looks." _

"Hime, I think it's time we settle down for the night."

Akari shrugged as she pulled the Kunai out of tree and slammed it into the ground. Again, her throw was deadly accurate, as it stuck up with the point in the grass.

_"I would hate to get hit by one of those, if it came from her..." _

Akari ran up to her grandfather's side and tugged at the giant bag. Her small frame was barely able to budge it, but she managed to climb up and unzip the top.  
As she rummaged through the objects within the bag, she felt her fingers brush something cool and hard.

_"Odd," _she thought as she continued pushing the insides of the large pack around. Her fingers finally found something large and soft. _"Hey, there ya are!" _

Akari pulled out a large sleeping bag, followed by a miniature one. After, she pulled out to roles of cloth that they had been using as substitute pillows.

When Akari was done, she saw that the man she was with had already started a little fire.

She smiled and took in a deep breath. "The fire smells good, old man." _  
_

Hazel eyes crinkled as his mouth flinched to form a gentle smile. "Believe me, dinner will smell even better, ya brat."

~Somewhere outside of Suna~

"You mean to tell me she is already headed towards the lake?" Aguri screamed.  
The jonin across from him flinched. "Yes. Intelligence believes that she should arrive at the lake within a day or two."

Aguri slammed a hand down on the table, standing as he did so. They were currently gathered in the conference room of the Kage mansion. "Then why the hell are we still here!?"  
"Aguri." The fourth Kazekage spoke calmly and with purpose. "Please settle down. We will solve nothing if you constantly break out into a violent fit every time something new comes up. If you continue, I'll have you escorted out and you will have no part in this discussion or the mission."

Aguri paused his internal war as he slowly began to return to his seat.  
"We understand you frustration, Aguri." Began one of the many elders gathered that the table. "We all feel it here. She is a princess. A princess that doesn't belong to just one nation, but to all five. She is ours to protect."  
The elder's elbows rested against the table, with his fingers interlaced, and his chin resting against the thin hands as he leaned forward as he spoke.

Aguri let out a ragged sigh as he looked at the face of every man across the table.

When no one else spoke up, Aguri found his words. He forced down his anger, so he would remain calm, as he stood up again.

He let out a cough, to clear his throat, as he began to spit out exactly what he thought. "We are late enough as it is. The likelihood we can stop this is one percent out of one hundred.  
All I am trying to say is we need to leave, now, and not sit here talking about what we could do! Right now, our princess is out there, and could have her life on the line.  
We can't sit here and assume the best. We already know the location and when she is due to arrive. The least we can do is be there to make sure she doesn't get killed in the process!"

Every man stared at Aguri, finally understanding exactly how he felt. Every word that came out of Aguri's mouth seemed to light a fire, automatically. Fire that some of them weren't aware was there.  
Slowly, several men nodded their heads in agreement, while others clapped their hands at his speech.

The Kazekage stood, causing all heads to turn to him. Aguri sat down, abruptly, feeling slightly putdown by the powerful man. "Very well. Aguri, you are right. We will follow your plan."

Aguri couldn't help the amount of relief he felt at the man's words. "But, Baki will be leading the mission."

Aguri watched the man stand. Baki had half of his face covered by a sheet, and two thick red marks on the right side of his face.  
He didn't look like such a bad guy, but Aguri wasn't sure he wanted to trust the life of Akari-hime in the hands of a stranger.

Aguri let out a soft grumble as he nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"Right." Baki said, loudly. "Let's move."

~The next day~

Akari woke up to the sun shining in her face. She heard the birds chirping in the distance, as she listened for the familiar sound of her grandfathers snores. All there was to greet her, though, was the sound of the singing birds.

Akari sat up to take a look around their campsite. The fire had been put out recently, as she could still make out the faint trail of smoke rising from the heap of coal.  
Her grandfathers sleeping bag and pack were currently out of sight. _"He didn't leave without me, did he?" _She considered the possibility has fear began to settle in her stomach.

"Morning, sleeping beauty!" Shouted the chipper old man. Akari whipped her head around, in the direction the voice had come from, to see the grey haired old man standing on a branch, high in a tree.

"Ojii-chan!" She yelled, voice sounding as though she were chastising him. "Get down from that tree before you hurt yourself!"

The old man let loose a laugh as he began to run across the tree branches, jumping and dong tricks that a man of his age should not be able to even dream of.

Akari was growing more upset, seeing the man so carelessly run around the treetops. She was becoming distressed at the sight and couldn't help feeling that he may fall at any second.

"Please, ojii-chan!" she pleaded, becoming more desperate with every step and jump her grandfather took.

The man came to a stop as she saw the desperation on the child's face.

For a second, he recalled a day when Kairi had yelled at him in much the same manner.

He had been running from tree to tree, hanging upside down, attempting to show off to his daughter, but Kairi remained unimpressed. _"If you don't get down here, soon, old man, I am going to come up there and get you!"_ She had said.

"_You too truly are alike. I wonder how much Kairi realized this?" _

The hazel eyed, brown-grey haired man jumped down from the tree and walked to stand next to his granddaughter. "I was perfectly safe, hime. Nothing would have happened to me."

Akari took his hand in hers. "Yes, that may be true, but even you can become jinxed, grandpa."  
He sighed at the child's logic as she pulled him along.

"Now come on! We have to get to the lake!" Akari dragged her grandfather along the dirt road, pulling at his arm when he started dragging his feet. Akari came to a stop and gave her grandfather's leg a swift, soft kick before turning away and walking forward.

"Okay, okay! But do you even know where you are going?"

Akari stopped in her tracks and looked back at the old man. His hazel eyes sparkled as he let out a joyful laugh and he took a few steps forward. "Come on, hime, it's this way."

Akari followed close behind her grandfather, giggling as she went.

~Suna, the night before~

It had been an hour since the precise orders for the mission had been given. Seventeen men had been chosen. Most were people who had worked with either Baki or Aguri, before.

Baki stood at the front of the line, Aguri standing beside him. The mark faced man may have been given lead, but Aguri had been offered the role of second. And Aguri accepted without a second thought.

"Okay, men. Intelligence says they should be arriving at the lake within a day or two. They have an extremely fast pace, so we will _not _be breaking. It is a straight shoot. If you get too tired to keep up, you will get left behind. I am sorry, but that's how it is. Remember, the princess takes top priority at all times! be on your guard, and be ready."  
By now, the men had the speech memorized, but the words always seemed to bring an odd sense of encouragement to them. Even Aguri felt encouraged to some degree higher then he already was. It was odd how it worked. Feed them encouragement by telling them the mission was going to be one hell of a bitch.

Baki stood straight, as he looked over the faces of all the men assigned to the mission. The platoon was larger then what was typical, but then, this was no typical mission. "Is that understood?"

The lined up men stiffened under the hard eyes of their leader, and his second in command. "Understood, sir!"

Baki and Aguri couldn't help but smile. "Good… Now move!"

The men each braced themselves, as they pushed of the ground and began to run.

Baki and Aguri raced to the front, in order to keep them on track. Baki had the least amount of emotional ties to this mission, as he had only met the young princess once. He knew that was why he was chosen to lead the mission, and although he had little worry towards the missions goal, he knew Aguri did. He almost felt a little bad for the guy.

"You know, there is a chance she could die." Baki whispered, almost sounding gentle, as he spoke to Aguri.

Aguri nodded slightly as he eyed the branches carefully. "That's why I don't intend to slow down."

Baki couldn't help but admire Aguri's endurance and determination. He seemed so fierce.

"We all want her back, just as badly as you do. Please, try not to forget that." Baki said, as he dodged a low branch.

Aguri growled, as he ran a little further ahead. "It's hard to believe that, when you all sat there for an hour wondering whether you should just wait for her to come back."

~At the lake: Present time~

It had been several hours of walking before Akari's grandfather recognized the familiar feeling of the mist settling in around him.  
He had been looking at the ground before, but when he finally looked up, he could see a thin fog which would quickly turn into a dense one.

He could just make out two thin shadows through the mist as he walked forward, holding Akari's hand.

Two men stood, leaning against trees, as One man leered over at Akari while the other spoke directly to the elder.

"It's about time, Ryuu. You kept us waiting long enough."

"Well, I was perfectly on time. You two were simply early."

Akari, feeling confused and worried about the strangers, took a step closer to her grandfather. She hadn't realized she had grabbed his jacket until he felt him tug her hand away.

"Tsk, the brat is scared."

"Ryoma!" shouted the man who had been leering at the child moments ago. "she is our guest. We should treat her with respect." The man spoke with almost a sarcastic and malicious tone. Akari decided she didn't like either of the men. The one named Ryoma had dark features. He had short, spiky black hair, and his eyes were dark and threatening. His voice was the only calming thing about him. His voice seemed to carry a lazy, carefree undertone.  
The other man seemed even worse. His features where much lighter in nature, literally. His hair seemed to be sunny blonde and he had green eyes, though they were so dark, she could have believed they were black. But the mans voice was harsh and bitter.

"Eiichi, when will you learn that I am all bark and no bite?" Ryoma countered.

Both, Ryuu and Eiichi let out 'tsk' sound as they rolled their eyes.

"I have yet to see the day." Ryuu stated, dryly, entering the conversation.

Akari flinched back. Her grandfather had just joined the conversation? Like he had known them for quite some time.

Akari was becoming nervous. "Ojii-chan? Where are mama and papa? You said they would meet us here."

Ryoma and Eiichi busted out laughing at the child's forwardness.

"We should begin, before she finds the chance to run." Ryoma stated, glancing up to the sky, thoughtfully.

Ryoma bent down to Akari's level and looked her in the eyes. "Okay, kid. I'll make ya a deal. You comply with us and listen to us, and when all this is over and done, I'll let you live. Kay?

Akari looked at him strangely, a small glint of fear in her eyes.

She stared Ryoma down, seeing something in his eyes that she didn't like. His eyes were taunting, almost like he dared her to appose him. Almost like he wanted her to.

She didn't like that look. She knew that normal Akari would have said something harsh and kicked him in the face, but his eyes were unwavering and dangering and she wasn't exactly feeling dangerous.

"Okay." She mumbled, under her breath.

Without another word, Eiichi grabbed Akari's collar and pulled her with him to the bank.  
She could barely see through the fog, but she thought she could make out the faint outline of a boat.

She was pushed forward roughly, and she felt her face smack against wood. _"I was right... its a boat. But where are we going?" _

Eiichi cackled as he pulled Akari back to her feet and sat her down in the boat. Ryuu stepped in the boat behind them and began to push the boat off the shore.

Once they were far enough from the shore, Ryuu began to row the boat properly.  
Suddenly, Eiichi put his hand up, and Ryuu halted.

Ryoma, who had been walking on the water, stopped and stood next to the boat.  
"What is it?" Ryoma hissed.

Eiichi put a finger to his lips as he listened intently to the area around him.  
After a long silence, Eiichi finally spoke. "He is here."

"Then begin." said Ryuu.

Eiichi pulled out a Kunai from his back pocket, and without warning, slashed Akari's shirt from the neck to her elbow.

Akari let out a gasp as the cool air hit her now bare skin.

"Ink style." Eiichi muttered. Akari felt the mans cold fingers run along her skin and she jumped away, running towards her grandfather.

Ryuu gave her a cold glare and forced her to sit down. "Stay."

Akari looked up her grandfather, the fear she initially had, growing.  
Ryoma and Ryuu watched as Eiichi traced numerous signs and kanji across the girls skin. Snake, ram, and others.  
First, he marked the back of her right shoulder, and then he marked the front.

"Done. Next."

Ryoma looked towards Ryuu and nodded. Without another word, Ryuu let loose a giant wave of his chakra.  
After a moment, they could hear a low groaning sound from below them.

It sounded pained, or pissed.

Then the water began to move. The once calm surface turned violent, as water began to fall into the boat. The boat had been rocking back and fourth violently, as Ryuu continued to dispel his chakra.

"Ryoma, don't just stand there!" Eiichi shrieked, voice strained as he attempted to remain calm.

Another large wave hit the boat, nearly flipping Akari out of it. Eiichi held her shoulders fiercely. "Oh no you don't!"

A large groan was heard, again, louder then before. Akari turned her head to the direction of the sound and saw the had of something large. It appeared to be a boulder, but when she saw that it floated with the water, she realized it most definitely wasn't a a rock.

Eiichi followed Akari's glance and screamed. "Ryoma! You have to chain the beast. Get a move on would ya!"

"On it." Ryoma stated, lazily.  
He ran to where the beast was just beginning to pop his head above the water, and formed a quick hand sign. He pulled out a scroll and released two very long chains. Infusing them with his chakra, he threw them into the air, just as the beast began to rise further out of the water. The chains ensnared the beast and the three tails seemed to growl.

"Akari, this is where you come in. We need you to go on touch him. Okay?"

Akari shook her head, no. Upon seeing the beast, she could feel the bloodlust. She could feel the anger, the hatred. She could smell it, too. She didn't want to go anywhere near it.

None of the three men were willing to take no for an answer. "Go."

Akari shook her head again. _"There is no way I am going near that.." _

Ryuu let out a growl. "Look, brat." he spat. "Get up and do as we say, or I will have your parents murdered on the spot, got it?"

Akari let out a sound that sounded a lot like a scoff, as she glared up at the man.  
She no longer felt fear. She was simply pissed.

She looked at the man with such hatred in her eyes, that he almost had the audacity to flinch back.

"Yes, Ojii-_sama."_ She could taste the bitterness on her tongue, as she spoke, but she didn't care.

She stood and gingerly rested one foot on the water. She held onto the boat side, keeping one foot on the water, and one foot on the wood.

She had never walked on water before, but she had seen her parents do it and the technique had been explained to her. And at the moment, she had no choice. She wouldn't loose her parents. _"Not again." _

She slowly put her weight onto her foot, and sighed with relief that she didn't sink.

"Hurry up, brat!" Eiichi screamed, becoming frustrated.

She tried to hurry her slow pace, but it wasn't fast enough, as she was pushed out of the boat. Scared, she focused all her chakra on her back, to catch her fall, but she wasn't sure it would work. She braced herself and closed her eyes.

She didn't know how to swim and she was weighing the chances that one of them may dive in and save her. But when she felt something hit her back, that felt like a thin sheet of glass, she gasped. Looking around, she saw she was still above water, still on the lake, and she could still see a pissed off Eiichi and a semi worried, equally pissed Ryuu.

"Great, you can walk on water! NOW GO!" Eiichi screamed, almost louder than before, if possible.

Without hesitation, Akari pulled herself to her feet, and turned towards the beast. She took in a deep breath and gulped.

"_They'll force me to do it, anyway. And I have no doubt they will kill my parents... How could he. Kairi was his daughter. That teme." _

Without a second thought, she ran towards the three tails, determined that if she couldn't save herself, she could at least save them.

~In the woods~

"Did you hear that?" Aguri questioned, looking towards the men behind him.

Baki nodded. "Yeah, it was someones scream. And I can feel a massive chakra build up, already. We are getting close."

Aguri didn't say a word, as he pushed himself to run just a little faster, running ahead of the group.

"We're coming, hime."

~Lake~

"Ahh!" Akari let loose a strangled scream as her skin made contact with the beast. "Nghh.. ah…" The raw chakra surrounding him burned her but she pushed through it. She had to push through it. They would force her to do it, either way, and if she didn't, her parent's lives were on the line.

The chakra slowly began to wrap around her entire body, and she let a blood curdling scream. Still, she grabbed hold of the hard shell of the beast and held it tightly. Slowly, she felt something seeping into her. Not just around her like the chakra had, but physically going into her.

She looked at the marks on her chest, to see they were turning red. _"Weird…" _she thought. And then it began to burn.

"AH!" she cried.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain, but it only became worse. _"I… don't think… I can…" _

"Akari!" she heard a voice shout. She couldn't move. She couldn't even look. But she knew it was her grandfather. _Correction: Ryuu._

"Do not give up! You can do this! If you succeed, we will see your parents after. They will remain unharmed.

Ryuu wouldn't ever admit to it, but he disliked seeing the child in so much pain. He would never admit to the fact that it tore his heart lying to her. He had grown fond of the child.

Akari grunted at the encouragement, a bit pissed that he had the courage to even offer such a proposition after so willingly threatening those same people. _"That bastard... thinking he can control me with those sweet words..." _she harshly argued to herself. _"That man doesn't have the right. But I will becomethe best kunoichi ever, and I will pull through this pain. For mama and papa."__  
_

She held to the dense shell tighter and opened her eyes as she watched. Watching seemed to help.

It didn't relieve the pain, but her mind at least had something else to focus on.

She watched as the turtle slowly dissipated, disappearing into her chest. She hadn't really noticed before, but she had been screaming the whole time.

As the beast slowly disappeared, she closed her eyes and felt pressure against her shoulder and back. She didn't bother to look and see who it was.

When she heard whispering, she didn't bother to try and make out the words.

She slowly began to fade into blackness as the world around her faded.

Ryuu looked down at the child in amazement. She had been in so much pain, and yet, she pushed through it. _"Amazing what a child can do…" _

He began to murmur soft words that only Ryoma and Eiichi could hear. "You're going to remove her memory?" Ryoma hissed.

"I don't have a choice." Ryuu muttered. "For the future, we need her on our side. She will know what is inside her, but she will not remember how or why it came to be. In the future, I will only be her grandfather."

Eiichi spoke up. "You just want her to forget the part where you threw her into a genjutsu where her parents were alive, and then threatened to kill them, like all over again."

Ryuu glared at the younger man, before he continued murmuring words.

Just as he finished, something caught his attention. _"here already?" _Ryuu wondered. _"They're quick."_

Without hesitation, Ryuu disappeared in a poof of smoke. "You bastard! You set us up!" Eiichi yelled, as he dodged several kunai aimed at his chest and face.

Ryoma said nothing as he dodged his own attackers. "We are on our own." He stated dryly, when he got close enough for Eiichi to hear him.

"Thank you, captain obvious!"

Both men stood in front of Akari, trying to keep the kunai from accidently hitting her.

Suddenly, the attack of kunai came to a stop and it was quiet.

"Where the hell… Gah!" Ryoma fell with a shriek. Blood slowly fell from his back and merged with the water as he began to sink.

"Well, damn it! Both of you bastards left me behind!" Eiichi growled.

A poof of smoke emerged, dissipating just as quickly, to reveal at least thirty men, some of which were clones. "Surrender." Baki stated, calmly.

Eiichi let out a low growl, before he removed the chakra from the bottoms of his feet, and sank into the water. "Eh, maybe next time." He said as his head became submerged.

Two men ran to where Eiichi had stood, and gasped in shock. "He is gone, sir!"

Aguri had taken the chance to run to Akari's side, and checked her pulse. He let out a sigh of relief.

Baki waved them off. "Never mind that, our priority is the girl."

Aguri looked to Baki as he picked the princess up. "She is breathing fine. But they succeeded in sealing the beast."

Baki nodded. "We cannot stay here. We will move to a clearing a couple miles out. There, we will rest."

The men flinched, not ready to move on just yet, but without argument, each followed after the leader.

Aguri trailed behind them, being careful not to jostle the sleeping Akari.

"I am just so glad you're safe." He whispered, as he brought his lips the girls forehead. "But I swear, if you put me through something like that again, I'll..."

Aguri paused, letting out a shaky breath and a laugh. "I'll just have to save you again."

* * *

A/N: OH! O_O Soooo didn't see that coming. (Heh, just kidding).

I wonder what's gonna happen next! Aguri-san is so protective, ne?

What a shame that Ryoma had to die... I kind of liked him. Eiichi is awesome too, though. :D So, it's okay. I can survive as long as Eiichi is in my life.

And remind me that I seriously need someone to talk to on here! Talking alone is just boring! O_O

So I realized it kind of sounds a lot like Akari and Ryuu were sleeping in the middle of the road, haha. And I was thinking of editing that bit, but I decided against it. I really like the way it is written for the most part, so I don't want to change it.

Anyway, there is a rock on the right side of the path and a nice clearing to the left. Akari saw the clearing, and decided they would camp there, unlike what Ryuu had planned, where they would sleep behind the boulder.

And I know there are probably a lot of grammatical errors, but you're just gonna have to forgive me and ignore them cause I really don't feel like going back through 5,059 words of story.


	5. Greetings! Meeting in Suna

**CHAPTER FIVE: _Greetings! __Meeting in Suna _**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

Akari woke up, startled. Light flooded in through an open window over her bedside, and she could feel the heat seeping through. Gently, she pulled the sheets off of her body and attempted to sit up.

She let out a groan, when her stomach spiked with a sharp pain and her head began to throb.

_What happened? _She wondered.

She heard a crash and a yell coming from the hallway. She perked her ears, attempting to hear what was going on. She made out a nearly inaudible voice.

"We have to send her to Konoha, Aguri. It is no longer safe here. You know that."

Her eyes widened at the statement. _Could they be talking about me? _

Someone, sounding a lot like Aguri, grunted in protest. "I understand _why _you want to send her away, but what I am saying is, that we slipped up. She never should have been out of my sight to begin with."

_What the hell happened? _Akari was getting more curious, as the conversation progressed. Their voices were getting closer, she realized, when she barely had to strain her ears to hear the next comment.

"No, Aguri. We did not mess up. You messed up."  
Aguri attempted to interrupt the Kazekage, but was silenced by the man raising his hand. "Even so, the girl would not have been safe, here, to begin with. They know where she is, and they are ninja. They would have found a way."

Akari flipped her legs over the bed, and pulled herself onto her feet. Her legs wobbled slightly, as she put her weight on them. _I must have been out of it for a while. _

She slowly walked up to the door, and pulled it open. Aguri stood on the other side, mouth open in shock.

Her sensei starred at her for a moment before he smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. "I am so glad you are okay." He murmured into her hair.

Akari stiffened, at the contact. She wasn't sure exactly why, but she did not like the touch.

"How much do you remember?" Aguri asked, running his hand through her hair. He was now on his knees, so he was eye to eye with the six year old.

Akari shook her head. "I don't remember anyth—." She shut her mouth, suddenly, not finishing her sentence. Her eyes glazed over, as her memories consumed her all at once.

_She ran through the front gate, and to the front door. "Mama!" she shouted as she pulled her shoes off. "I came up with my famous kunoichi speech today! It's perfect." She giggled. _

"_We are the future!" she shouted, looking at the ground as she slid open the rice paper door. _

"_We will make this world, one way or ano—." Her words were cut short as she took in the sight, her mouth left agape. _

_She would have screamed, but her throat constricted so tightly to the point she couldn't breathe. _

_There was blood covering the floor, a thick trail leading to a body and moving to the next room." _

"_Papa!" _

Her memories flashed forward, to her mother.

_Her eyes widened even further, as she took in the sight. Her mother was bloody but still breathing. A tall man had a hand wrapped tightly around the older princesses' neck. Kairi hadn't been fighting. _

"_Mama!" _

Her mind was suddenly flooded with her mother's memories, and Yuuma's thoughts that had been left behind when he had died.

She watched as she and her mother simultaneously fell to the floor.

"_I am Hayato of the Hidden Cloud." _

Akari gasped, and began to cough from the sudden surge. She couldn't breathe. She needed to get out. She needed air.

She pushed past Aguri, knocking him onto his ass, as she ran down the hallway and out the nearest door.

She felt relieved when the sun hit her skin, and the hot, dry air of Suna graced her features. She took in a deep breath, smelling the familiar sand. A smell she had grown to love.

Her knees buckled under her, and she fell to the ground, but she didn't care. She could breathe again.

As long as she didn't think of it… of her parents… _NO! Don't… don't remember that… please… stop…_

Tears flooded down her face, and pooled along the sand, turning it a shade darker. She let out a slight sob, that came out sounding like a squeak.  
Strong arms wrapped around her body, trying to calm her down. But she didn't want the touch. She didn't want the sympathy. She pushed the body off her and tried to stand, but her legs failed her and she fell on her face.  
She growled, angry with herself, as she tried to force herself to stand up.

_Stand up. Damnit, stand up!_

She rested her palms against the sand, trying to push herself up, but her shoulder seared with a white hot burning sensation, ten times worse then the pain of remembering. "Ah!" she screamed, as she brought her left hand to her shoulder. She gripped at it, as hard as she could, attempting to expel the pain.

She sat up, slowly, sitting on her butt, legs spread out beside her. She rolled the short sleeve of the t-shirt up, just barely enough to see a glowing light-blue swirl on her shoulder. She looked to see there were four more glowing swirls, and in the center, an odd kanji like shape, glowing brighter then the others.

_This is… the… _

Images flashed across her mind, as she remembered.

Her parent's memories fed into her, as she slowly began to process it all. Knowing bits and pieces of what they knew. _I hold the Sanbi? How?_

"Akari, please, come inside." Aguri begged. Akari barely processed his words, as she began to stand up, this time, succeeding.

The new jinchuriki walked past her sensei, and to her room.

_If I go back to sleep, I can pretend this never happened. When I wake up, everything will be normal. This is just all a bad dream._

She crawled back into her bed, and closed the curtains of her window. The room became dark, as she lay down and slumped against her pillow.

After fifteen minutes of laying there, her body finally allowed her to drift.

"Akari, listen to me." She heard a voice call, just before she could be taken to the realm of dreams. "You need to stay awake."

Akari refused to listen, as she rolled further into her bed.

"You have visitors. They will be here within an hour. Besides," the voice beside her chuckled, gently. "You have been asleep for three days. I think you have slept enough."

She finally rolled over, to see the face of someone she loved, but desperately wished would go away. Temari was now sitting in a chair by her bed, smiling at her.

Akari glowered, slightly, as she sat up.

"Are you going to stay awake?" Temari asked, with a slight giggle. The ten year old always giggled, and it always annoyed Akari. Now was no exception.

She stared Temari in the face, as she refused to speak. "I take that as a yes?"

Akari still refused to respond.

Sighing, Temari stood, and walked to Akari. Without asking, she pulled the younger out of bed, and carried her out of the room.

Akari gave a groan of protest, but never said a word, as she was carried through the mansion.

Temari suddenly put Akari down, as she began to rummage through her own closet.

Pulling out a dress, she handed it to Akari.  
The six year old princess looked at the dress with disgust, and silently, dropped it to the floor.

The blonde heard a soft thud of some kind, and looked up to see her dress now on the floor. "Well, what do you want to wear, huh? Care to tell me?"

Akari ignored the older girl, as she walked up to the closet and brushed her fingers across several articles of clothing. The daughter of the Kazekage owned more dresses then the princess could count on one hand, and she was half tempted to burn every single one of them. Finally, she saw something the caught her interest. A black shirt, and black pants. She pulled both out and threw them at Temari.

The older girl was barely able to catch them before she was assaulted by mesh armor and a pair of shoes. Then finally, the bandages.

Temari glared at the younger girl, and Akari glared back. Akari's glare didn't give, until finally, Temari submitted.

The Kazekage's daughter threw her hands in the air, ungracefully, as the clothes fell from her hands, only to be caught by Akari.  
"Fine, fine. Wear what you want. It's your party."

Temari knelt down, next to the smaller girl, and helped her undress.

The blonde took up the bandages and slowly began to wrap them around the younger girl, as she had seen the child and her mother do, in the past. She did it gently, in fear that she may accidentally hurt the injury prone girl. Akari coughed slightly, and barely managed to whisper a very quiet "thank you." Temari almost hadn't caught it.

She smiled slightly as she finished dressing the princess. "Okay, Hime, back to your room." Temari said, as she picked the girl back up.

They walked down the hall, and laughing could vaguely be heard coming from Akari's room.

The room was now full of people, some worrying over Akari, while others enjoyed a conversation.

Akari pushed at Temari's shoulder, demanding she be put down. The blonde put the princess down, with no further instruction. as she walked into the room.

Akari followed in after Temari, in curiousity, but flinched back at all of the people.

Aguri ran up to the newly created jinchuriki, and pulled her into a hug, similarly to before. "Akari, I want to introduce you to some people. Is that okay?"

Akari kept her focus on the ground, as Aguri took her hand. She knew she would be introduced, anyway, but she didn't want to say yes, in the hopes they would leave her alone.

Aguri sighed, as he pulled the girl along. "Not to many, then?" He asked. Akari didn't answer, but she was grateful that Aguri would try to keep the introductions to a minimum.

"First, Akari, I want to introduce you to the man who's care you have been placed into."

The Jinchuriki princess looked up, through her bangs, to stare into the face of an old man. _This guy is ancient, _She thought.

"This man, is Sarutobi Hiruzen. He is the third Hokage." Aguri said. She stared at the older man for a moment, before looking back down at the ground.

Sarutobi smiled gently, and reached a hand out in front of the girl.  
Akari took his hand in hers, before dropping it quickly.

"You are Akari Shinaho, yes?" The old man asked.

Akari, deciding some politeness was in order, simply nodded.

Sarutobi smiled. "There are many people here, who want to meet you."  
As the third Hokage finished speaking, a young woman, and a young man came to stand beside him.

Akari just managed a quick glance, long enough to see a man with silver hair, and a woman with red eyes.

"Akari?" Aguri said. "This is Kakashi Hatake. And the woman, that is Kurenai Yuhi."

Akari nodded, looking at the ground. She just wanted everyone to leave, already.

Kakashi knelt down to her eye level and stared into her face. His face was covered by a mask and his hatai-ate covered his left eye. His stare was confident, and hard as he stared at the girl. She almost backed away, with how fierce his one eye looked.  
But then his eye crinkled into that smile, and she almost wanted to smile too. Almost.

"I am Kakashi! I um... well, I am really not sure what I am to you, but I guess we can start as friends. How does that sound?"

Akari tilted her head slightly, as she thought about it. She could see herself being friends with someone like him.

She nodded, and Kakashi chuckled, ruffling her hair.

He stood up, and the red-eyed woman took his place.

This woman had a soft smile, and her eyes seemed to say she would care for anyone in the world, till the day she died.  
"I am Kurenai." The woman spoke, her voice sounding strong, yet, soothing and gentle. Akari liked her voice.

Akari nodded, right away, not needing to be asked if they could be friends.

Kurenai's smile widened, as she pulled the child into a hug.  
Akari gasped, too shocked to react; but just before the woman could pull away, Akari hugged her back.

Everyone in the room smiled at the scene. Things were going as planned.

Old man, Hiruzen looked up from the scene, to see the Kazekage motioning towards him. Sarutobi excused himself, as he made is way to the other kage.

"It seems the plan is working." The Kazekage murmured, Sarutobi nodded.

"That seems to be the case. Still, I would like to stay here for a week. Allow the child to get used to us. All of us are going to take turns caring for her. I don't want to take her away. Especially just after becoming the three tails jinchuriki."

The redheaded kazekage nodded, as he stepped back. "Well, by all means, go back to the child. She will need all of you. Oh, and I warn you, all of this has put her through a great deal of shock, if her silence hadn't clued you in. But, according to Aguri, she will go into a state of paralysis, or become completely unresponsive. She also hallucinates, at times, and she could possibly break out into violence. Also, the past three days... well, she probably doesn't remember, but the child has night terrors. Horrible ones. She slept for three days, nonstop, and at first, she was peaceful. But, then she began screaming. We were never able to wake her up."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded at the information given to him.

"I will be sure to tell the others. All we want is the girl's safety."

"You, and the rest of the nations." Answered the redhead, before disappearing.

The old man side, and rubbed a hand over his face slowly.

_Kami-sama, help me, help this child._

* * *

_A/N: Sorry everyone, it's gonna be a few days before I post again! I wish it would be sooner, but I have been chaotically busy, and having one computer in a house full of nerds isn't helping. XD _

Also! I am really struggling where to go with this. I mean, I know where to go with this, but I am unsure of how to start the next chapter. But, at least I have the next several chapters planned out. Between this, The Violet Thief, I should be getting at least 2 more chapters done for each, by the end of the week.

Not to mention, I want to finish Battle of a Kitsune Warrior (Fanfic for a different show) and Floating Primacy (For Bleach. I literally, finally just gave it a name). XD So I have a lot of work to do! *sigh!*

THANKS TO WHOEVER READS THIS, THOUGH!

Please, leave a review. I want to know what you all think! I do take criticism, but nothing harsh and no flames. I want honesty, but seriously, be respectful. I do have a high regard for my writing. I know I am not the greatest, but I know I do not completely suck. I have plenty of people to support that, for me. SO if you aren't going to be respectful, DON"T BOTHER REVIEWING.

Sorry, but I havent had issues so far, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Until next time!

-Falling Stars

Peace, love and pixie dust.


	6. Escapee! Friends Comprised of Stone

**CHAPTER SIX: _Escapee! Friends Comprised of Stone_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Also, I don't think I am going to like this much, and I'll probably find it just as annoying, as you, but when it is bold and italic, she is dreaming, okay? Sweet.

* * *

_Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded at the information given to him._

_"I will be sure to tell the others. All we want is the girl's safety."_

_"You, and the rest of the nations." Answered the redhead, before disappearing._

_The old man side, and rubbed a hand over his face slowly._

_Kami-sama, help me, help this child._

~0000000000000~

Akari was suffering, in two ways. From insomnia, and night terrors.

It seemed, that no matter what happened, it was either she couldn't fall asleep, or that she felt like she hadn't slept at all because of the nightmares. Tonight, she suffered from the latter.

Tonight, she would meet him.

_**There was darkness. Her body ached as she moved forward.  
She could see and hear nothing, as silence dominated the black space. **_

_**She felt something thick, something liquid, under her feet, as she moved. Her body didn't feel as her own. **_

**_She was shaky, as she moved. She wobbled from side to side, unaware of her body, the ground, and the surrounding area. _**

**_She couldn't see, but she could feel the vibrations in the thick liquid beneath her. _**

**_Her body froze, as she saw a light coming from a distance. _**

**_"Oh no... No, no, no, no. You must be kidding me," she thought, as she broke from her frozen state and moved forward. "I can't be dead..." _**

**_She halted, as her skin broke the light, and halted. _**

**_She took in her skin. What was once graced with a sun-kissed tan, was now a pale blue. _**

**_Her hands shaped into giant claw like feet. _**

**_She tried to look behind her, but her body was far to wide, and all she could see was a large shell. _**

**_She heard a faint swooshing sound, as three large, blue tails arrived infront of her face. "THE HELL?!" _**

**_Her body nearly gave in, as she took it in. But, her body didn't nearly give in. _**

**_It remained as it was, uncontrolled.  
_**

**_Without consent, the body moved forward. _**

**_Without her consent, the body began to act.  
_**

**_She watched, as the beast she was within, walked through a small town.  
Houses were crushed under its feet, with each step. _**

**_People screamed. Blood pooled, down the road, like a small river. _**

**_She could feel it. The sensations. _**

**_With each step, she could feel and hear the wood break. _**

**_She could hear bones, clench and break. _**

**_She could feel the bodies being crushed beneath her. _**

**_And she screamed. _**

**_The beast she was within, let out a loud growling, that turned into a whispery howl.  
The ground shook, the houses fell, and she felt consumed by the rage, hatred, anger and bloodlust. _**

**_A small pool of light gathered infront of her eyes, and within a seconds notice, shot from her. _**

**_"NO!" She screamed, but could do nothing to stop it, as the ball of chakra collided with the last standing building. _**

**_The Mizukage Mansion. _**

**_The building was caught by a white hot fire, and slowly, diminished. _**

"Akari, Akari-hime!" she faintly heard a voices call.

Akari blinked, three times, before she could see clearly.

Four people stood over her, eagerly, watching like hawks.

Aguri and Kurenai stood over her head, watching her face intently, while Kakashi and Hiruzen stood to the side.  
All four of them looked insanely worried.

"What happened, Akari?" Kurenai questioned, sweetly, in that kind, strong voice of hers.

Akari slowly sat up, as they backed up quickly.

She rubbed her eyes, with the backs of her hands, hard, to feel her cheeks were wet. Her hands fell deftly to her lap, again, and she did not answer.  
Kurenai sighed, and ran a hand through the child's hair.

"Please, talk to me?"

Akari shook her head, no.

It wasn't often that she would communicate in anyway, other then looking directly at the person, or looking directly away. But, when she did communicate, you knew not to agitate her further.

Kurenai spoke, as a thought approached her.

It had been three days, sense they arrived in Suna, but most importantly, she had spent three days, non-stop, with the child.  
She knew the child would never say it, but Akari trusted her. In not so many words, she figured, the best way to get the child to open up, was to give her less people to open up to.

"Everyone, please leave."

Kakashi, never wanting to argue with Kurenai, jonin of ANBU or not, walked out instantly.

Hiruzen looked questioningly at the young chunin, but voiced nothing, as he too left the room.

Aguri, though, remained behind.  
He trusted the woman, in a way, but he didn't want to leave the princess behind; she was a jinchuriki now, and there was no telling what danger lay ahead.  
He stayed.

Kurenai opened her mouth, in protest to the man, when a quiet voice caught her attention.

"I... um..." Akari whispered.  
Kurenai barely made out her words, when she responded, "what?"

Akari almost seemed too frightened to speak again.

She quickly glanced up between her sensei and the woman, before looking down at her sheets. Their look of concern seemed to push her to be brave.

"Three tails..." Akari murmured, quietly, just barely being caught by the two ninja.

Kurenai's eyes widened a fraction, and she looked to Aguri. He was just as shocked.

"Sweety, don't be afraid of him. He cannot hurt you."

Akari shook her head, quickly. "No, you." she said, speaking a little louder, now.

Kurenai froze.

What did that mean? No, you?

_She doesn't think I would hurt her, does she?_

Kurenai looked to Aguri, who simply shrugged, before mouthing, "I think she means he will hurt you."

Kurenai nodded, as it settled in. That definitely made the most sense.

"You think he will hurt us?" she asked.

Akari nodded.

Suddenly, Aguri stood up, shocking both girls. Kurenai looked to him, curiously, as he nodded and left the room.  
Kurenai turned back to the girl and smiled.

"Akari, I want to show you something, okay?"

Akari gave no response, as Kurenai continued. She moved forward, resting her hands gently over Akari's stomach, in question.

Still, Akari gave no protest.

Kurenai began to move Akari's shirt up, till just above her shoulder. Scrunching the material around the child's neck, she moved the shirt, so her shoulders could be seen. The seal resting on her right shoulder had now turned black, and thankfully, no longer stung. "This is a seal. It keeps the three tails within your body. He cannot hurt anyone, as long as he is within you, and this prevents him from ever using or hurting you. Okay?"

Akari stared, wide eyed, at the black, hard, swirly marks. She nodded, slightly, before pulling her shirt back down.  
She said nothing, as Kurenai called the others back into the room.

Kakashi and Sarutobi smiled at her, as they entered, and she barely managed a grimace, at an attempt to smile.  
Aguri remained by the door, smiling at the group.

_She is in good hands now, _he sighed, before he pulled the door closed and walking down the hall.

_But even so, will she make it in Konoha?_

~00000000000000~

It was the night before they were due to leave for Konoha, and the only thing missing was the six year old, jinchuriki princess.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Aguri shouted, fists balled up, at his sides. He glared at the woman in front of him. She was supposed to look after and protect the girl.  
Kurenai let out a long, exaggerated sigh, as she restated her previous words. "I mean, she is nowhere in sight! I have looked high and low for her. My guess, she is somewhere with someone familiar. Honestly, the poor child is scared out of her mind, and being forced to leave her home. I think she deserves the bit of privacy that she hasn't had since her parent's death."

Her words hit Aguri, hard, as he settled down. "I..." he sighed, "you're right."

Kurenai nodded, acknowledging his attempted apology, before walking away. "I will continue to keep an eye out for her, though."

Aguri shook with worry as he watched the beautiful brunette woman disappear around the corner. He was so wrapped up in thought and worry, that he hadn't notice the small presence come up from behind him.

"Aguri-sensei"

"Eh!" he shouted, before looking back to see a head full of blonde hair.

"Oh, Temari-sama! You surprised me!" The man blushed as he scratched the back of his head, in embarrassment.  
The ten year old giggled, before her look took on a more serious one.

"Aguri-sensei, have you found Akari yet?"

The jonin shook his head at the young ninja in training. "No one has been able to find her, for three hours. I am sorry."

Temari muttered something under her breath before nodding at her teacher. "Thank you, sensei. I will look for her as well."

"Ah," Aguri managed to bring the ten year old to a stop, before she could disappear, like Kurenai had. "Why are you looking for her?" he asked, purely out of curiosity.

Temari tilted her head, at the man, before giving her answer. "I want to give her a hug goodbye! She is leaving in the morning, and all of Suna wants a chance to say goodbye to her. I just want to make sure I get to say goodbye, personally. She is the daughter of a family friend, not to mention, a friend to me and my siblings. Plus, she is just so cute!" Temari giggled, at the last part, before running off.  
Temari wasn't sure where Akari would be, but she knew where she wasn't, and that was as good a place to start, as any.

What no one knew, is that Akari was intentionally running away from everyone.

She never cared for goodbyes, and she certainly wasn't ready to say goodbye to her home, or anyone in it.  
So, as soon as the first person began to say their goodbye speech, she had formed a sand clone, and high-tailed it out of their.

Currently, she was walking aimlessly around the large Kazekage mansion.

She had formed an allusion, so no one knew she was their.

Considering it wasn't a jutsu that made you turn nearly invisible, their was no tell she was their at all.

Quietly, and cautiously, she walked along the wall, waiting intently for people to either stop looking, or pass out from exhaustion.  
She was perfectly fine with either reaction.

"Over here!" Said a young mans voice.

"You saw her?" Called another.

"I think so..." the boy said.

Akari, shocked and worried, coward against the wall, running straight for the nearest door she could find.

Not bothering to knock, or even see what room it was, she pushed the door open, and pushed it shut, silently.  
She held her breath, as footsteps ran by, quickly.

"She gave us the slip!" a young girl shouted in anger, knocking over a small statue. It fell with a crash, and all three let out a quick, "Oh shit..." before running down the hall for cover.

Akari let out a quick sigh of relief before backing further into the dark room.

She hadn't noticed before, but she was in a bedroom. There was a small candle, burning by the bedside, illuminating the room just enough for Akari to see a deep green painted over the sand stone walls.  
The bed, in the middle, against a far wall, looked painted black from where she stood. _I wonder who's room this is..._

Breaking her from all thoughts, she heard a quick sob, and a sniffle soon after.

Looking in the direction the sound had came from, she could make out the slightest shadow.  
She walked towards the bedside, and picked up the candle as she walked closer to the small shape, sitting in the corner.

The light flashed over the small body, and she could make out pale skin and short red hair. She couldn't see their face, but she knew who it was.  
There was no mistaking the green shirt, the pale skin, or that red hair. _Gaara... _

"Are you okay?" she whispered, trying to keep from getting caught by outsiders.

The boy, unaware of anyone's presence, snapped his head up to glare at her.

"Get out." He gritted through his teeth.

Akari felt bad for him. They were friends, and she knew how others treated him. How is own family sometimes treated him.

But she was different.

She had never feared him.

"Don't be like that." she sneered, gently. "I asked if you were okay, not if I could beat you to a pulp. You don't need to be defensive." She said matter-of-factly, her words making him flinch.

Gaara had seen her many times, over the coarse of the week. Only for quick visits, but he had seen her nearly every day, with Temari and Kankuro. Both his siblings had attempted to get her to speak, in straight, fluent sentences, but they couldn't even get her to say, "hi."

He hadn't hear say so many words at once, since a month ago, when she had yelled at him to stop worrying about what others thought.

"I... uh... sorry..." he murmured, under his breath, but Akari still caught it.

She put her hands on her hips and sighed.

For once, she felt like herself.

For once, she could actually, really forget.

"Look, we are the same now."

Gaara's eyes went wide as he stared at her.

Akari moved her short sleeve slightly, to show off part of the mark on her right shoulder. "I hold the three tails. You hold the one. We are the same, Gaara. Don't shut me out, like you do everyone else. And don't you dare tell me to get out, after all I have done for you." She muttered.

For a six year old, Gaara realized, she sounded much older.  
The eight year old stared at her for a moment, before he nodded.

Akari smiled, in gleefulness as she plopped down next to him.

"I hope you don't mind if I stay in here for a while. Everyone is looking for me, and I don't want to be found just yet."

Gaara shrugged, signaling he didn't care, and Akari smiled.  
To the redheads surprise, Akari attacked him from the side, giving him a hard hug.

"Thanks, Gaa-kun."

Gaara blushed, slightly, at the nickname, before resting his head on top of the younger girls.

He barely noticed her crying, until he felt a tear hit his chest, and soak through his shirt.

"I am sorry." he whispered, as he hugged her tighter to him.

That night, Akari slept peacefully for the first time, in the arms of her best friend.

* * *

A/N:

OKAY! So, I got a bit confused her, cause my math SUCKS! But, I wanted to clarify everyone's ages, for you and for myself XD

Right now, their ages are!

Akari: Age 6

Gaara: Age 8

Kankuro: Age 9

Temari: Age 10

Naruto: Age 6-7

Shikamaru: Age 7-8

Kiba: Age 7-8

Those are all the characters, that age wise, really matter. Everyone else's age stays the same, or is unimportant. *shrugs* XD

Anyway, So that means Gaara is around two years older then Akari, with his birthday being recent. Her birthday, is in December, his in January.

Kankuro is three years older, Temari is four years older (I know that it may not be quite right, but oh well).

Oh, Naruto is a year and like two months older, and then Shika and Kiba are both almost two years older.

That's just how I wanted the age's to work out.

Anyway, when I get other characters and stuff, that are like 'need to know' status, I will post their ages again :)

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know this is what I have been waiting for! (Ep!) BRING ON THE EPICNESS ;D XD

Get ready for some extremely awesome story telling, cause it only goes up from here. (Well, it's more of a roller coaster ride, actually!)

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Peace, love, and pixie dust~

-Falling Stars


	7. Home! Where Promises Are Made

**CHAPTER SEVEN: _Home! Where Promises Are Made __  
_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_"Thanks, Gaa-kun."_

_Gaara blushed, slightly, at the nickname, before resting his head on top of the younger girls._

_He barely noticed her crying, until he felt a tear hit his chest, and soak through his shirt._

_"I am sorry." he whispered, as he hugged her tighter to him._

_That night, Akari slept peacefully for the first time, in the arms of her best friend._

~0000000000000000~

The next morning, everyone from Suna and the few travelers from Konoha were gathered at the front gate of the village.

Akari stood closest to the gate, never taking her eyes of the sand walls that protected her village. Many people were gathered to wave goodbye, but she paid them no attention.

Her mind was wrapped up and consumed by her memories.

Her fathers memories.

Her mothers memories.

She could recall countless times, where she would stand by Aguri's side, as her parent's left the village. And by her mothers gift, she witnessed their heartbreak, every time they had to leave her behind.

She remembered other things, too.

Playing with the kids, at the playground. Protecting and being a friend to Gaara. Even though she was younger, she always had felt like his guardian. She had always looked out for him.  
She suddenly flashed back to last night, how he held her in his arms, and calmed her as she cried.

She recalled how, even though he was only just a little bigger then her, he had picked her up and carried her to his bed, and that night, they snuggled together. He had his arms wrapped protectively around her the whole time, and though he only slept for a few hours, both felt they had slept for days.

That's how Aguri had found them.

He finally figured to look in Gaara's room last night, and the sight he found was among the sweetest. He couldn't bring himself to disturb it in anyway. He noticed how Gaara had tensed and tightened his arms around Akari's waist, and he decided it was best to leave.

And he left with a smile.

But this morning, just like every morning, she went without a word.  
Although, no one could deny that she seemed somewhat happier then usual. It almost seemed she had a jump in her step.

Until they reached the front gate and began their goodbyes.

Akari's mind was swept away by the continuous stream of "goodbyes", "good lucks", and "fair well, princess"'s.  
Akari was so lost with it all, that she hadn't even noticed when Aguri came face to face with her.

He latched his hands on to her shoulders, to steady her slightly shaking body.

"Aka..." he whispered out her name, almost as though it were foreign and he were testing the sound on his tongue. The child looked up, at the sound of her nickname and looked him in the eye.

At times, her glances wavered, her confidence seemed low, and she only had a fire for a split second.  
But when she looked up at him, he saw something that nearly took his breath away. Her bronze eyes turned a redder color, that seemed to catch on fire.  
She was Akari, again.

"Aka, listen. I know it's gonna be hard for you, but you have to promise you're gonna try. Promise you'll behave, and most importantly, promise to always be yourself, no matter what. Even if it means I have to save you, over and over, again. Okay?"

Akari was mesmerized by his words, and mouthed the words, on her lips. 'Behave, try hard, and be myself.'

She forced a smile, that only seemed slightly fake, as her face grimaced at the action.  
She didn't want to speak, but she nodded quickly, before he could continue.

He sighed, before ruffling her hair playfully, and then pulled her into a hug. "I will miss you."

She nodded, in agreement, still wary to say anything.

Akari risked a quick glance towards the kazekage. His two sons and daughter were standing beside him, and slowly, she smiled at them.

She smiled at Gaara.

The redheaded boy attempted a smile, but he only flinched back at the action. Instead, she watched his eyes.

His eyes always gave away his emotions if you looked hard enough.  
And she could just barely see the undertone of twinkling in his eyes.

He was happy, from last night, as much as she was. He was content.  
When she thought everyone's backs were turned, she gave a quick thumbs up to her three best friends, before turning to face Kakashi.

With a creased-eyed smile, Kakashi picked her up and threw her on his back.  
She let out the slightest squeak of surprise, and with one final wave goodbye, they were off.

She looked back and watched as her home, her friends, and her sensei all faded in the distance, and she smiled.

Not a happy smile, but a thoughtful, remorseful smile.

_I'll keep my promise, Sensei. And Gaara, I will return. You can count on it. _

~000000000000000000~

Three days had passed, when the group finally arrived home.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third hokage, walked through the front gate first. Izumo Kamizuki and his best friend, Kotetsu Hagane both looked up in shock.

"Ah, the hokage is back!" Izumo shouted in his friend's ear.  
Kotetsu, who had been asleep on the job, snapped his head up and sat straight. He wiped the drool from his face, and offered up a smile.

"You're back earlier then expected!" Kotetsu added.

Hiruzen smiled. "Yes, I suppose I am. Otherwise, I don't think I would have caught you sleeping on the job, Kotetsu."

Kotetsu turned a brilliant shade of red, as the rest of the group walked through the gate.

Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi and Iwashi Tatami walked through the gate, then, followed by Kakashi who was carrying the child, and Kurenai.

Genma broke out into a smile, catching the last bit of what the hokage said. "Nice to know nothing has changed, around here." he said, through his senbon.  
Izumo laughed at the jonin's words, and nodded. "Everything is just as you guys left it." the new chunin said, happily.

Kakashi, who carried a sleeping Akari, walked past quickly trying to get the girl away from their loud voices.

"Woah, who's the kid?" Kotetsu questioned, recovering from his embarrassment.

Kakashi groaned when he felt Akari shifting around on his back, signaling she was waking up. Kurenai giggled, before answering, knowing Kakashi would just ignore the question, and possibly, break Kotetsu's nose.

"She is the Shinaho clan princess."

Kotesu and Izumo both looked at the child with wide eyes. The girl seemed peaceful, as she wrapped her arms around Kakashi's neck and snuggled against his back.

Kakashi relaxed and let out a sigh when he felt the girl fall back asleep.

He turned to look at the two chunin and glared. With a hiss, he spoke. "She hasn't slept in two days, moron's. I finally get her to sleep, and you nearly wake her up!"  
He was filled with deadly rage, but a touch on his shoulder from Hiruzen reminded him of the child he was carrying.

"If you had woken her up, I would have had to kill you." The ANBU stated, dryly, truth behind every syllable.

The young chunin both shuttered, before nodding.

Feeling pleased with the response, Kakashi walked ahead, toward the hokage mansion.

Genma let out a breath, as Raido and Iwashi cracked a grin. "I really wasn't looking forward to the possible outcome, of that." Genma admitted, teeth chewing on the metal weapon in his mouth.

Kurenai smiled sweetly, turning her attention the young gate keepers. "Sorry about Kakashi. We all have kind of grown attached to the girl. And well, you know Kakashi..." She sighed. "He'll do anything, to protect what's precious to him."

She smiled wickedly.

"But he is right. We would have to kill you, if you had woken her up."

The chunin women patted both their heads, softly, before running off after Kakashi.

Hiruzen laughed softly at the two ninja. "They really have come to care for that girl." He said. "Even I see her as something of a granddaughter."

Genma and his team of ninja, remained silent as they looked at their leader. "Yes," Genma finally said. "Even I see her as something of a younger sister."

The elderly hokage nodded. "Then you all will do well to protect her."

The men stiffened, but nodded.

"With our lives, sir." they said.

"With our lives."

* * *

Okay, I am really not sure just yet, how I feel about this chapter... This wasn't exactly where I wanted to go with it... *sigh* It's so purely filler, it's rather depressing. But I guess, ya gotta do what you gotta do. Honestly, I don't blame ya, if you skipped all the way to the bottom just to see what the hell I was thinking. XD

Honestly, I am not sure! I don't think I was thinking.

Anyway, it is what it is. Mostly, I am more excited about the next chapter, anyway. It's kind of a filler, too, but it is a lot more important then this was. I think this chapter was purely to show their changes in relationship, from when they first met, and now.

I mean, Kakashi is almost like a father, Kurenai is almost like a mother. Which kind of cracks me up. XD

And then Hiruzen, who is exactly what I wanted him to be, is like a grandfather to her.

I know I didn't ever mention the hokage's platoon group going, but I guess I just never thought to. They were there to protect the Hokage and not much else.  
But I really like Genma. XD I always kind of have. So, even if he doesn't have a major role in the overall story, I at least wanted to give him the role of being like a brother to her. *shrugs* XD I can work out all the details later.

BUT SEE WHAT I DID! I gave you the cute moments with Kurenai and now you get the cute moments with Kakashi! :D *Lots of hearts* I am so in love with this story. XD It's amazing.

Okay, okay, I'll shut up now. Until next time, my faithful servants-EH! Readers. XD I mean readers.

~Peace, love and pixie dust

Falling Stars


	8. Summons! Gifts From the Dead

**CHAPTER EIGHT:_ Summons! Gifts From the Dead_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_Genma and his team of ninja, remained silent as they looked at their leader. "Yes," Genma finally said. "Even I see her as something of a younger sister."_

_The elderly hokage nodded. "Then you all will do well to protect her."_

_The men stiffened, but nodded._

_"With our lives, sir." they said._

_"With our lives._

~0000000000000000000~

It had been just over a week, since they arrived back home.  
Or as Akari liked to refer to it, home away from home.

She still wasn't big on speaking, but every once in a while, she would mention something, like she has to go to the bathroom, or she wants to go outside.

Of course, she only ever used one word, when she spoke.

"Outside." Akari murmured into Kurenai's ear, as the woman knelt down to her level.

Kakashi, Hiruzen and Kurenai began a trade off system, so they could all continue on with their missions.  
Today, Hiruzen was working on papers, and Kakashi was due to leave for a mission in an hour. So, Kurenai willingly took up the job.

Kurenai looked at the child and nodded. "Of course." she said with a smile.

Akari liked to go out into the back garden, where she could sit in peace and quiet, enjoying the world around her. She didn't want to interact with anyone, and the back yard always seemed to bring her a sense of peace. A sense of curiosity and satisfaction.

She ran out and off the back porch, and picked up a couple of cherry blossoms that had fallen from the tree.

Kurenai smiled, as she watched the girl bring the flowers to her nose, to smell them.

_She is so full of curiosity, and wonderment, and yet, she can't find it in herself to open up. _Kurenai slowly began to consider all the possible reasons for this. Her analytical mind working one hundred miles per minute, to decipher every possible way to help the girl. She was strong, physically. She was skilled, as well. But there was little she would be able to do, if she suffered mentally.  
She needed help, so she wouldn't hurt in the future.

"Kurenai"

The brunette turned her red-brown eyes to the source of the voice, landing on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

The old man smiled gently at the woman, before looking towards the three tails jinchuriki. "I would like to speak with her."

Kurenai nodded, before questioning the elder man. "May I come?"

The third hokage shrugged a shoulder, uncharacteristically, before nodding his head in agreement. "Akari!"

Akari ran up to them, bowing out of respect to the old man.  
She said nothing, as she looked at him curiously.

"I want to show you something," he said, as he turned into the building. Kurenai grumbled about Hiruzen always skipping around the bush, while Akari couldn't help but hum in agreement. The old man had a way with words. Often, he didn't say the whole truth and he never revealed his secrets. She always disliked that fact.  
But at the same time, she admired him for it.

Kurenai took Akari's hand as they walked down the fire red hallway.

Akari looked around, fully consumed by curiosity. She thought she had seen the entire building, but this area, she did not recognize.

"This part of the mansion is only for me, and whom I allow here. No one else can get in." the gray haired, old man said.  
He ran a hand over his wrinkled face as they walked fingers running through his grey beard. "But this place, will now be opened to you, and your teachers. Do you understand, Akari?"

Akari looked up to the older man, giving him a flinching smile and a nod. With so little words, he could still tell she was grateful to him, and was excited for what she was about to see. He couldn't help but smile, at that knowledge.

Finally, pushing open a side door on the left, he let the two girls in.

The lights were off, so Akari could barely see, but that was changed, as a dim light filled the center of the room. A glowing ball of chakra.

"These rooms respond to my chakra." He explained. "They hold many secrets. They have no lights, but when my chakra is within the four walls, it will build up a ball of chakra. But, I do not have to use any, as the walls are already filled with it."

Akari stared in utter awe.

The room was filled up to the ceiling with scrolls of all shapes and sizes. Green scrolls, red scrolls, scrolls the size of her or larger... and finally, her eyes landed on a set of familiar, light blue scrolls.

She ran to them, running her hand over the pile. "These are my families..." she muttered.  
The girl was barely aware she had spoken, let alone in a full sentence. But, both Kurenai and Hiruzen heard, and both smiled.

Hiruzen addressed Akari, again. "Yes. You're clan was once from here. They left many things behind. Also, Suna was gracious enough to send the rest here. These scrolls are yours to study, and use as you choose."

Akari's eyes widened. "Really?" she wondered.

Kurenai nodded and answered for the man. "Yes, but I believe Hiruzen-sama has something he wants to show you, specifically."

Hiruzen walked forward, and touched several of the scrolls, before pulling out two large ones. One was rimmed in a darker blue color, while the other was rimmed in an orange color.

Akari's eyes widened, recognizing the scrolls. "Summons?" she questioned.

Hiruzen nodded. "You will be signing both."

Akari ran a hand over the scrolls and looked back at Kurenai, as though asking permission. Kurenai nodded, eagerly, watching the girl. She already figured out what this was for. Hiruzen wanted to give the girl a friend. Or in this case, two.

"You know how to do it?" Kurenai asked.

Akari nodded, as she opened both the scrolls. Nervously, she bit her right thumb, until she drew blood, and began to sign her name. Her father had taught her how to do this, proclaiming that after her graduation, as she was due to graduate at age seven, he would allow her to sign the scrolls. It was a ritual their clan always preformed.  
Shinaho clan members always graduated at age seven, and they all signed at least one scroll, after graduation. But like her father had, she was going to sign two. And she was taught every week how to do it.

Her bloody thumb slide across the paper, easily, as she signed her name on the first, and then the second. Her eyes turned bright, as she remembered her fathers words. _Be calm. We always get good ones. _He once said.

She smiled, ever so slightly, as she ran her blood over all her fingers. _Sign one scroll with your left hand, and the other with your right. _He reminded her, constantly.

Gently, she pressed her left hand against the blue rimmed scroll, and her right hand against the orange rimmed one.

"Now, you..." Hiruzen began, but was interrupted.

"Now I put my hands on the ground, and say: summoning jutsu."

He nodded, but she hadn't seen as she pressed her hands to the ground. Kurenai watched with curious eyes. _I wonder who her summons will be... _  


There was a poof of smoke, as her words sounded through the room, and it slowly dissipated.  
Once the smoke was cleared, Akari could barely make out their forms.

She heard a gentle growl and a huff. One summons stood, and looked around the room. "Who..." he wondered.

Looking down, he saw the girl staring up at him wide eyed. She was kneeling on the ground, brown hair framing her face, bronze eyes sparkling. "Ah..." he said. "You."

Akari was shocked, as the large grey wolf bowed in front of her. He was gigantic. She had never seen such a large creature before. "I am Yasunari, Akari-sama."

"I-uh..." she muttered, staring at the wolf. "You know my name?"

He bowed his head, in the form of a nod. "I knew your father." he said.  
Akari felt tears brim her eyes, and nodded.

"Yori." The wolf spoke.

The wolf and the girl looked over to see a lump resting on the floor. Slowly, the lump lifted its head with a growl. "What?" She demanded.

Akari flinched back, but remained where she was as Yasunari walked toward the shadowed figure. "Introduce yourself to Akari-sama." he stated coolly, as he nudged his friend.  
She grumbled as she stood and bowed to the girl.

Akari gasped at the sight. Yori stood at least a foot taller then Yasunari, her red fur shifted as she bent down in greeting. She gave a wolfish grin in greeting, her green eyes looking at the girl curiously. "I am Hiyori, Akari-sama." The over-sized red wolf closed her green eyes, in her form of a smile.  
Akari slowly stood, trembling slightly, from the shock and the use of her chakra.

She walked a circle around her two wolves before coming to a stop.

She looked to Hiruzen and Kurenai, who both nodded.  
Kurenai couldn't believe the size of the summons. They were larger then even the Inuzuka clans ninken.

Akari looked back at the two summons, and smiled. "Call me Akari." she said simply, before hugging each of the summons tightly.

They were shocked, to say the least, but accepted the embrace, none the less.

"Of course, Akari." They said in unison.

~0000000000000000000~

Hiyori growled lowly, as she wrestled Akari to the floor.

Akari grappled against the cool concrete as she attempted to reach for her kunai, which had landed several feet away from her.

"Watch yourself." Yasunari said, as he looked on, at their fight. "Akari, you can't reach. Draw another weapon."  
Akari grumbled, as she reached for her pocket and pulled out a shuriken. She lashed out towards Hiyori's face, but the weapon was dodged easily.

Hiyori jumped back, and away from the swinging arms of the six year old girl. "Hey..." she growled, becoming annoyed with the constant dodging.  
Leaning low to the ground, Hiyori let a growl loose, as chakra poured through her. "Earth release: Headhunter jutsu" Hiyori disappeared for all of two seconds before Akari felt something tugging her leg. She looked down quickly, to see a red tail wrap around her leg. She tried to jump away, but it was too late and Hiyori pulled her down into the ground.

The red wolf jumped out from under ground and smiled down at her summoner. "You did well, Akari. But you're still really slow to react. I don't care what jutsu you know or what weapons you can use. You need to be fast. Okay?"  
Akari sighed, nodding as she was pulled up by Yasunari.

"I know. You want me to be able to get away, should I meet an opponent I can't fight."

Both her summons nodded, as they curled up beside her.

They had been around for a month, now, and were progressing with the child well.  
She had begun training with them first, so they could protect the girl and work with her. Also, they were able to teach her more of the basics.

Over time, they had become the girls best friends, loving her every step of the way.

Since they had arrived, she began to talk more often, and in full sentences. She still was rare to talk, at all, but at least it was understood clearly what she was saying.

"We should take her to the room." Yasunari was the first to speak. His head was often full of strategy and thought. He always knew what to say, and always when to say it. He was extremely level headed. He knew the girl was on the verge of passing out, if she hadn't already.

Hiyori, being extremely hard headed, was unwilling at first. But when Yasunari's blue eyes glared at her, with ferocity, she immediately did as she was told. Picking up the small child, she gently rested her on top of Yasunari's back.

The grey wolf stood carefully, as to make sure Akari didn't fall off, before he carried her quickly to the room.

"I will report to Lord Hokage." Hiyori murmured, using her tail to pull the door closed.

Yasunari didn't stop walking, but acknowledged her with a low, "hn" sound as he walked down the hall.  
"And Yasu, be careful with her." Hiyori's voice was low, and almost sad, as she spoke. Yasunari stopped then, and turned to face the larger wolf.

"I always am, Yori. Come back soon."

Without another word, the blue eyed, grey wolf turned his back to Hiyori as he walked down the hallway. He heard Hiyori walk off in the opposite direction, as he passed the painted red walls of the hallway.  
There was little in the hallway, that could be considered homey, but over the past month, Akari had taken to drawing little pictures for Hiruzen, and they had been hung lowly on the walls for people to see.  
There weren't many, but the ones that were there were sweet.

Akari liked to draw herself, with Kakashi and Kurenai, or with Hiruzen. Sometimes, with just one of them, or all of them.  
But Yasunari's favorite, was the most recent drawing.

It hung higher up, on the wall, where Kakashi had placed it just in front of Akari's door.  
The background was a light purple color, and in the center, Akari stood, in her black pants and black shirt, as per usual. But on either side of her, instead of Kakashi and Kurenai, stood himself and Hiyori.  
He had never felt so elated, and pleased with himself. As odd as it may sound, he made picture on the wall status.

To him, he had successfully done what he promised he would always do; protect and love the girl.

Yasunari pushed the dark brown door open, as he stepped into the dimly lit room.  
He quickly walked to the far left corner, where Akari's bed was, and leaned over slightly. Slowly, she slipped off his shoulder and onto the bed with a thud, but she didn't wake.

Inwardly, he smiled at the sight, and jumped into the bed, curling up next to her.  
Feeling his warmth, she snuggled up closer to him, hugging his side.

He stayed awake, keeping an eye out for signs of trouble. At some point, he heard a thud outside the door, and a low growl, before the door pushed open and in stepped Hiyori.

"What'd he say?" Yasunari asked.

Hiyori grunted in acknowledgement, as she climbed into the bed, resting at Akari's feet. "He want's to discover her chakra nature, soon. He has another gift for her as well, before she begins her official training."  
Yasunari nodded, before putting his head down on the pillow. "Tomorrow?"

Hiyori moved her shoulders in the form of a shrug. "Soon. He didn't say when."

Silence dominated, as Hiyori and Yasunari curled up next to their summoner, lovingly.

Hiyori fell asleep quickly, and Yasunari was fast on his way, when he heard a groan leave the six year old child's lips.

He looked up, to see her rolling, throwing punches unceremoniously. _Another nightmare?  
_He nudged her gently, trying to wake her up, but her fist flew towards his face. He grunted as she made contact, but continued trying to wake her.

Suddenly, Akari sat up, and screamed. It was a loud, high pitched, and blood curdling sound, as it fell off her tongue. She punched at the air in front of her and beside her. Hiyori, now awake, moved towards Akari, but fell back when Akari attempted to hit her.

Yasunari moved closer, dodging a fist as he tried, again, to wake her. "Aka!" He yelled, but received no answer, as she tried to punch him again. "Wake up!"  
She punched again, this time, managing to hit him in the side.

He fell to the bed with a groan. "Yori! Get Hiruzen-sama!" He yelled, as he grabbed hold of Akari's shirt.  
Yasunari lifted her off the bed, and held her flailing body in place. She couldn't punch him, but occasionally, her elbow would make contact with his face.

Hiyori only hesitated a moment, before she heard Akari growl, then scream again.

She took of running.

By the time Hiyori arrived, Yasunari's face was bleeding from the punches to his nose.  
Kakashi, Kurenai, Hiruzen and another man they didn't know, walked into the room.

The first three were too shocked to act.

The black haired man, with a bandanna wrapped around his waist, walked forward and put a hand to the girls forehead. "Lullaby Jutsu." he whispered, as his hands touched his lips.

Five pairs of eyes watched him, as he pulled the now calm girl into his lap. She was awake now, and crying softly.

"Asuma, how did-?" Kurenai asked, being the first to snap out of her shock.

"I was taught it years ago." Asuma said, shyly. "Never needed it, but it's useful."

Kakashi and Hiruzen snapped out of it next. Both men running towards the bed.

"Only a handful know that jutsu." Yasunari stated. "How did you ever come across it?"

Kakashi looked curiously at the jonin in front of him, but focused his attention on the girl, resting a hand to her forehead.  
"I met Aguri."

Akari tightened her hold around the tan man, crying into his shoulder. She was distraught from the dream, and wished everyone would go away.  
Hiruzen noticed the child's discomfort. "Come, Kakashi, Kurenai. She is safe now. I think it's best we leave her to sleep."

The chunin and ANBU nodded, as they followed after the Hokage.

"Son." Hiruzen said, Asuma looked at him. "Take care of her. I will leave Yasunari and Hiyori here with you."

Asuma nodded, and looked back to the girl in his arms. She had stopped shaking, now that the room had cleared out, but she was still sobbing.

"Hey, now." Asuma said, kissing the girl on the forehead, in a soothing way. "I don't do well with tears." he said, simply.  
Akari let a sniffle escape as she nodded. "I mean, I used to be a really emotional guy." Asuma lied, only slightly. "I cry easily." he said.

The girl stopped sniffling to look at him. She saw the grin on his face, the way his eyes crinkled and his spiky black hair.

"You look kind of like Ojii-sama!" Akari stated, coming out of her sad state. She was curious now.

Yasunari chuckled, as he nudged Akari's back. "He is Hiruzen-sama's son."

Akari's eyes went wide, as she looked at Asuma. "No, he can't be! Old man didn't have kids." She poked her tongue out at the thought.

Asuma's eyes sparkled, as he smiled at the girl. "You sure are a chatter box."

Akari blushed, as Yasunari and Hiyori laughed. "N-no, not really." she mumbled.

Her two best friends begged to differ. "Actually," Hiyori started. "She has been known to talk our ears off, every now and again. It's rare, but she does it."  
"Yes." Yasunari agreed. "Before..." he coughed. "Well, anyway, she used to talk constantly. She still does, when she is in a good mood."

Akari sighed, head falling in dejection. "Yeah..." she agreed.

Asuma laughed warmly, at the small girl. "You're very smart for a six year old. I like you!" He said.

Akari smiled, brightly, at the man. His voice was warm and soft. It reminded her, a little, of Kurenai. "I like you too!" she said. "And you look nothing like the old man!"  
The room broke out into a fit of laughs, as Asuma hugged the girl.

"Now go back to sleep, silly girl. I will stay right here."

~0000000000000000~

Akari woke up the next morning, with a faint smile on her face.

It was barely there, and barely noticeable. Just a slight twitch of her lips, in the upwards direction.  
But it was still there.

Yasunari and Hiyori, being so close to her, for so long, noticed immediately.

"You're cheery, this morning." Yasunari spoke, his voice soft and lazy.

Hiyori chuckled, in that amused way she normally did, before speaking up. "Wait till this afternoon. Training will be harder then ever."

Akari groaned, at the thought of training.

Her body was still sore from the abuse she had received yesterday. She enjoyed it, but it was hard, when she had no idea what she was doing. And when both her summons could use their chakra to form jutsu's, and she couldn't, she found it extremely difficult to fight them.  
She wasn't sure she was ready for another day full of fighting.

"Oh, don't sulk now, kid." Yasu groaned. "It's not so bad. You get to hang with the old man today."

"Ojii-sama, huh?" her sulking face turned to a grin.

She felt good. She hadn't slept so well in weeks, and she could just about forget that her parents died, or that she held the three tails. _Or that dream, _she thought somewhat bitterly.

"Yeah," Yori murmured. "He wanted to see you."

"What for?"  
"He never specified."

Akari groaned. "Of course he didn't. It's always riddles with him. Nothing direct."

The six year old sat up. She felt much older then she was. Like she could be sixteen, at the youngest. She had the mentality of it, that was for certain.  
Sometimes, she wondered if she was just a dwarf, and that her age was all just some kind of a joke.

_But, if that were the case, _she realized, _I'd be a hell of a lot stronger then I am now. _

"What are we waiting for?" She asked, standing up, proudly. "I got to train!"

~000000000000000000~

Ridding on Hiyori's or Yasunari's back was one of Akari's favorite pass times. Hiyori liked to run around, doing crazy tricks, while Yasunari was much calmer. But still, even the strategic party pooper always did a trick or two, when Akari was on his back.

Hiyori believed he only did it for the reaction he received from the young princess.  
And Hiyori was right.

Akari clung to Yasu's back as he ran down the hallway, with the speed of lightening, much like his chakra nature.  
Hiyori remained further behind, deciding she would take on a slower pace today. She laughed, when she heard Akari let out a surprised squeal, as Yasunari jumped, bouncing from wall to wall.

She reminded herself that she would have to tell everyone back home, of just what this child could do to Yasu and herself. _She is something else. _

"Yo! Yori! Hurry up!" Akari called, standing just outside a familiar set of doors.

Hiyori grumbled, but hurried her pace, as she walked towards Akari.  
Akari jumped back into the room, as Hiyori pushed the door open wider, for her body to fit through.  
Yasunari was better at shrinking his size then she was.

When she finally squeezed through the door way, and took a stance behind Akari, she could clearly see Hiruzen standing behind a large table against the back wall. Kakashi and Asuma were standing beside him, Kurenai off to the side of the room.  
Hiyori, knowing Akari wouldn't want to speak around so many people, spoke up first. "You rang?"

Asuma smirked at Hiyori's sense of humor, and Kakashi's eyes glowed slightly.

Hiruzen chuckled lightly, while nodding. "Akari, come closer."

Akari stepped forward, motioning to her two friends to stay back.  
Hiyori and Yasunari obliged, moving to the wall by the door, laying on a set of cushions that had been brought out for them.

"Yes?" Akari questioned, though her voice never rose above a whisper.  
She heard Asuma scoff, but paid him no attention, as she looked at the Hokage.

"I want you to do a few things for me, okay?"

Akari nodded, curiously. "Hand, please?"

Akari lifted her hand out towards the old man, and watched as he gently set a piece of paper in her hand.  
He explained. "This paper reacts to your chakra. I need to know exactly what I am teaching you. So, what I want you to do, is focus all of your chakra into your hand, okay?"

"What will it do?" She asked.

Kakashi smirked, eye creasing, at her question. "That is the point of this test." he responded.

Akari nodded, before focusing all her chakra into the palm of her hand.  
Four pairs of eyes watched curiously, while Hiyori slept and Yasunari played guard dog. Both her summons already knew what the reaction would be, so paid no attention.

First, Akari noticed the paper began to change. It seemed to crinkle in on itself.  
Then, something curious happened. The paper turned sopping wet.  
And finally, the wet paper turned to mud, as it clumped in her hand and fell to the ground.

Kurenai raised a brow, before nodding. _Three different chakra natures. All natural. What a strange girl. _

Kakashi and Asuma, seemed unsurprised by the paper's reaction, as Hiruzen hummed softly.

Akari looked up curiously, eyes falling on each of the ninja in the room. "What?" she asked, softly.  
She was back to using only one word.

"This means you have three chakra natures." Asuma explained.

The others nodded, as Kakashi spoke. "Lightening," he added.

Hiruzen spoke next. "Earth."

"And water." Kurenai finished.

_I have all three? _Akari wondered. _I don't think even father had that many. _

She vaguely wondered if it was something entirely unusual to the clan, and if it had anything to do with Sanbi.

**_It's got nothing to do with me, kid. _**

Akari gasped, at the soft, raspy voice that entered her mind. _Hello? _

No one answered her, and she closed her eyes in irritation. Her thought process was broken, when Kakashi spoke, again.

"We are all going to work together to train you. I will teach you lightening, as I have mastered and naturally have lightening. Hokage-sama will probably teach you earth, when he has the chance, while one of us, or someone else will teach you water. Is that okay?"

Akari nodded, vaguely taking in the information.

Hiruzen smiled, gently. "I have one more thing..." he murmured.

Akari took a step closer, sweeping her brown wispy hair into a low ponytail. "What is it, Ojii-sama?" she asked.

Hiruzen smiled, as he pulled out a scroll. He cut his finger, slightly, before running it across the page.  
Smoke covered the table, and cleared quickly, revealing four different kinds of weapons.

Akari's eyes went wide. _These belonged... _

"To your clan." Hiruzen nodded. "Yes."

He picked up a small dagger. The hilt was covered in blue stones, a water dragons head being the design. On the blade, there was a small design of the clans symbol engraved on both sides. "This, was your fathers." he said.  
Hiruzen set the blade down, and picked up, in its place, two black rectangles. Spreading the bars out, she noticed they were actually fans. The paper of the fan was decorated with purple cherry blossoms. "Your mothers."  
He replaced the fans with a katana. The hilt was covered in a dark blue ribbon, that wrapped around the blade as well. The ribbon fell, as it was picked up, and she could see that it was also marked with her clans symbol. "Your grandfathers."  
Finally, he picked up the bow and arrows. The bow was black and dark blue, while the arrows were black, and had blue and white feathers. At the top of the bow was, yet again, the clans symbol. "And this, was your grandmothers."

He set all the weapons down, neatly on the table, for Akari to look over. "I can use all of them?" she asked.  
Hiruzen nodded. "Except for the fans. But I thought you would like to have them in your possession."

Akari nodded gratefully.

She felt a tear slip down her face, as she thought of her clan. The greatness they once were, and now, there was only one.  
"Thank you, Ojii-sama. This is a great gift."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, as he motioned towards her summons. Both stood and walked towards them. Kurenai walked closer as well.

"Beginning today, we will start the training of the last Shinaho clan member." Hiruzen announced.

Energy filled the young girl and her summons, as Hiruzen spoke.

"Beginning today," he said. "We will avenge-"

Akari cut him off, with her words. "Beginning today, I will avenge my clan!" She shouted.

Her anger towards the man who killed her parents poured out of her. Her desire for revenge began to grow.  
She realized, now, she had to stop. She had to stop being so afraid. She had to fight.

"Beginning today, I promise to make them proud, and bring back what was lost." She chanted.

_Beginning today, I will remember those promises I made, and I will follow through till I die._

* * *

A/N:

Okay, so I am really not sure if this is how I wanted it to turn out. *closes eyes* but, I think it came out pretty good! By the way! I got a partner to talk to!

Everyone, meet Kisa!

Kisa: Uh.. hi, everyone.

She is really shy, but she is just so AWESOME! Wouldn't wanna get on her bad side! :D She is my nee-chan. (Not really) Actually, she is my OC! But she is based off my friend who I call my nee-chan, so it's kind of the same thing!

Anyway, I am gonna let you know... (dun, Dun, DUN!) She is actually in my story! So keep an eye out for her! :D I won't reveal anything about her, until after she is introduced.

Kisa: Uh, eh... Okami-chan, don't you think that this may be a bad idea.

Eh, it's okay, Nee-chan! No worries, okay! Just go meet up with Aka! :D

Kisa: Yeah, okay..

Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! I had a hard time writing it, mainly cause I am so ready for the next part! UGH! Not my fault I am so excited.

Good luck to other writers out there!

Oh! AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

I love you guys! *Hearts, hugs and kisses and stuff*

~Peace, love and pixie dust.

Falling Stars


	9. Academy! A New Best Friend

**CHAPTER NINE: _Academy! A New Best Friend __  
_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do

* * *

_Her anger towards the man who killed her parents poured out of her. Her desire for revenge began to grow.  
She realized, now, she had to stop. She had to stop being so afraid. She had to fight._

_"Beginning today, I promise to make them proud, and bring back what was lost." She chanted._

_Beginning today, I will remember those promises I made, and I will follow through till I die._

~000000000000000000~

_**Akari sat in a low tree, watching over a huge field from a distance.  
**__**Darkness crept over the top of the trees, engulfing the plain in nothingness. **_

_**Cold wind shuttered through the leaves and a roar bounced off the distant cliffs.  
She could barely make out her own fingers, as she shoved them towards her face.  
"Not again..." **_

_**Suddenly, warm light filled the clearing, as the trees caught fire before her eyes. **_

_**Smoke filled the sky, as the ground below began to shake. **_

_**To the west, off the horizon, Akari saw the creator of these flames. Light blue skin was vaguely a blob, by the distance, but she knew what it was.  
With each step he took, the ground shook, and trees crumbled. Rocks broke under each step.  
Slowly, as the blob of blue moved closer, she could just make out the three blue tails thrashing behind it, and the hard blue shell that seemed impenetrable. **_

_**She saw how the beast moved straight towards her, and she prayed it would go away. **_

_**Each step the beast took shook her to her soul. Her breathing became ragged with desperation.  
The steps the beast took were proud, yet slow, as he moved ever nearer. **_

_**"God damnit..." **_

_**Closing her eyes, she pleaded with herself, to just wake up.  
When she felt a hot breath of air breathe across her face, her eyes snapped open, and she was staring into the beasts large red eye. **_

_**"Sanbi." **_

_**The beast let out a low growl, before a full out roar, and she fell to the ground to her death. **_

She jolted from her bed, beads of sweating dancing down her skin, as she panted.  
Akari felt the nuzzle of something cold and wet against her arm. She recognized it as Hiyori.

"Another nightmare?" The red wolf asked.

Akari could only nod, as a wave of nausea racked through her body.  
She pushed Hiyori away from her, and pushed herself off the bed in time for her stomach to empty itself.  
Sighing, she sat back and wiped her mouth.

"What time is it?" she whispered, attempting not to wake Yasunari, who hardly slept as it was.  
She grumbled when the grey wolf answered. "Far too early for you to be awake."

Akari stood from the floor and moved her way towards her closet. She pulled out some rags and a bucket of water.

"This is the fourth time you've puked after a nightmare." Hiyori stated, worried.

"So?"

"So..." Yasunari put in, "we are worried about you."

Akari shrugged as she knelt on the floor where she had emptied her stomach previously. Wetting the first rag, she gently brushed it over the floor, holding her breath as she did. "So gross."

"You could call for a maid to do it."Hiyori murmured.

"Hiruzen-sama would be disappointed in you for cleaning this up yourself."

"I'm not a bloody princess." Akari growled.

She vaguely heard her summons scoff, before Yasunari responded. "Sorry to break it to you, but in fact, you are."

Akari sighed, in annoyance and acceptance, as she finished cleaning her bedroom floor. "What a way to start ones birthday, huh?" she growled out sarcastically.  
"Don't forget its your first day of school, here, too." Hiyori's voice was slowly fading, as though she were about to pass out.

Akari groaned. "Yeah, yeah. That just makes everything better."

Yasunari snorted at his charge, before curling back into a ball. "Go back to sleep. The school may not be so bad."

Crawling back into the bed, Akari snuggled between the two wolves, petting their fur lovingly. She closed her eyes in attempt to sleep, but all she could see was that glowing red eye. Her breathing hitched, and she snapped her eyes open again.

_No sleeping for me... _she sighed. _I'm turning a whopping seven years old, going back to school, and in a couple weeks I get to morn my parents death. _

She looked between Yasunari and Hiyori, and let out a content sigh. _At least I get to look forward to celebrating a year with you two. That will be nice. _

~000000000000000000~

"Akari..."

The now seven year old groaned in annoyance, throwing a pillow over her face and attempting to go back to sleep.

"Akari, you have five minutes to get up before I introduce you to my good friend, Mr. Ice Bucket."

The Jinchuriki princess looked up at Kakashi, cautiously. Her glare was furious and if hadn't been a well trained Jonin and former ANBU, he would have flinched back.  
The silver haired man looked to the two summons for help, but Hiyori simply scoffed before turning her face away from the man.  
Yasunari looked between Akari, Kakashi and Hiyori before sighing. "I have to do everything."

Yasunari stood up hesitantly on the bed, before moving towards the princess. "Kakashi-san, I suggest you back away before she sends her fist into your face."  
Kakashi listened to the wise wolf, and headed back to the door. He watched as the wolf made to get the girl up.

Yasunari bite into the girls shirt, pulling her up quickly. Her fists went flying as he grew in size, her feet unable to touch the bed.  
She hung stiffly in the air as Yasunari jumped down from the bed, walking to her closet.

"Hiyori," he managed to say through clenched teeth. "Get up and help us."

Akari's elbow met his nose, then, and he grunted in pain but did not let go. "Nice try, hime." he said.

Kakashi nearly laughed as he watched the wolf struggle with the girl. Hiyori grumbled as she walked to the girls closet and pulled out her clothes. Grabbing them with her tail she handed them to Kakashi. "You get the fun part." She said, gleefully as Kakashi turned pale.

The silver haired man walked gingerly to the flailing girl, suddenly wishing he knew the famed lullaby jutsu.  
Her fist connected with his face as she made to undress her. Hiyori and Yasunari, watching the man struggle, aided him by removing her shirt.  
Akari fell to the floor and made a dash towards the door, but was caught by two tails. "No you don't." The tiger chuckled.

Kakashi took his chance and threw the girls tee-shirt and pants on, before quickly backing away.

The two summons let go, standing next to the girl calmly.

The fury rolled off the child in waves, but slowly seemed to melt away as she calmed down a bit.

She sighed, as nervousness claimed her. "Do I have to go?" she questioned.

Kakashi gave her his closed eye smiled, mask covering his mouth and nose. "I'm sorry, hime. We gave you a year off too get adjusted. If you want to be a ninja, you have to go. Besides, you could have graduated by now, as it is. Not to mention you are already skilled enough to pass any student in the academy. But you can't make genin until you go to Konoha Academy."

Akari crossed her arms in annoyance and looked away. She let out a loud sigh, before mumbling quietly, "Fine."

She looked back to the older man, and smiled at him. "Only if you take me, Kakashi-Oji!"  
Kakashi slammed his palm into his face, but nodded. "Alright, I'll take you. Kurenai is coming too."

Akari cheered at the news. "Yes! Kurenai-Oba! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" She paused.

"What about old man-Ojii? And Asuma-Oji?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head in thought. "Hokage-sama has a lot of paper work, and from what I understand, Asuma is on a mission."

Akari frowned slightly, but nodded. "Okay, well let's go before I change my mind!"

The princess pushed past Kakashi, running out the door.  
Hiyori, Yasunari remained in the room.

The grey wolf looked to the silver haired man and seemed to smile, gently. "She has grown a lot, since she came her, hasn't she?"  
Kakashi nodded. "From what I have heard from Aguri, it seems she has gained back her old personality. Of course, she will never be the same. But she seems happier."

Hiyori chuckled. "You wait, this is only the beginning. Both of us new her, though vaguely, before she came here. She is a troublesome little prankster, too. And insanely intelligent."

Yasunari sweat dropped slightly. "Yes, I remember several of the pranks she managed to pull on Aguri, Kairi-sama, and Yuuma-sama. She was only two at the time."

Kakashi sweat dropped. "A handful, isn't she?"

Both wolves nodded in agreement, before following the seven year old outside.

~0000000000000000~

They had finally arrived in front of the Academy, when Akari decided she no longer wanted to go.  
Kakashi caught her arm, and began to drag her towards the building, while Kurenai tried to keep the attention away from them.

"Akari, sweetie, unless you want everyone to know who you are, I suggest you calm down and come quietly."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Come on, hime." he whispered. "You have to go."

Akari pulled her arm, attempting to snag it from Kakashi's grip, but failing. By now, most people had stopped what they were doing, to watch the scene unfold.  
The girl just wanted to cry. "No, I don't want to go. You can't make me! You can't!"  
She gave her arm another firm tug, again failing, before plopping her butt onto the floor.

"I'm staying right here."

Hiyori and Yasunari watched from the shadows, not ready to show themselves to the world just yet. But as they watched, they realized they had no choice.  
Yasunari and Hiyori stepped out and stood on either side of Akari.

"Hime, we are here with you. You don't have to be afraid, okay. You are doing this to make your family proud. Remember you promise from nearly a year ago?"

Akari sighed, calming down now that her two best friends were beside her. "Hai, I remember."

Yasunari seemed to smile gently at her. "I will go with you."  
As the wolf spoke, he shrunk down to the size of a small pup. He jumped into Akari's lap and nudged her. "Let's go."

She nodded, slowly in agreement, and Kakashi helped the small child to her feet. Akari held Yasu in one arm, as she slammed her face into Kakashi's stomach. The silver haired man hugged her, patting her back as she let loose a sob.  
Backing away, she wiped the invisible tears from her face, and ran to Kurenai, hugging her as well.

"Okay!" She said, as she backed up from Kurenai. "Let's go!"

In the background, they heard a bell ring and Akari's cheery form melted into one of complete nervousness again. "Akari, it's okay to be late on your first day." Kurenai said, smiling. "No need to form rain clouds over your head," she said, as a literal dark cloud formed above the child's head. The misty cloud dispersed as she looked up at her two sensei's. "If you say so, Kurenai-oba."

The red eyed woman nodded her head at the girl before taking her free hand. Kakashi followed behind as they walked through the front gates of the school.  
Suddenly, Akari stopped as she looked back to her tiger friend. "Yori, aren't you coming?"

The large wolf shook her head. "I can't shrink as small as Yasu can."

To prove her point, she shrunk her size, but she was now only the size of shipping crate. Too large for a classroom.  
Akari nodded. "Yeah, but you're getting better." She smiled. "Maybe you can come with me and Yasu next week."

Hiyori nodded, as Akari began walking again. "I'll work on it."

~000000000000000000~

Iruka had already begun lessons, as he was familiar with the students already. He had them for a year, already, and hadn't bother with roll call.

He was currently, unaware that their was a new student joining today.

His current speech on the history of Konoha was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Sighing, he stopped his speech and muttered an annoyed, "come in."

He was immensely shocked to see a familiar silver haired jonin, followed by a recently promoted jonin, Yuhi Kurenai. The two stepped through the door, and he barely managed to notice a small girl clinging to Kurenai's arm.

The majority of students gasped at the two jonin, barely noticing the brunette girl.

Kakashi was the first to break the silence. "We brought you a new student, Iruka."

The scar faced man nodded, as he focused his attention to the shaking girl. He had never seen her before in his life, but he thought she looked remarkably like Kurenai. She had brunette hair, streaked with blonde and red, and bright bronze eyes.  
Kurenai pushed the child forward gently, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I'm Akari Shinaho," she mumbled cautiously to Iruka. "I just moved her from Suna." she lied, remembering the discussion her and Ojii-sama had before.

_"I know you aren't excited about school, but is required, in order for you to make genin. But, before you go," the old man said kindly, as he sipped his tea. _

_Akari sat across from him, knee's under her, as she sat in her chair. She too had a cup of tea, but barely touched it as she listened intently.  
"I want you to lie about when you came her and who your family is. Most people do not realize a clan such as yours exists. Your clan is extremely powerful, and although unknown by many that you are princess's and prince's, it is known that your clan holds significant power, as your clan once lived here. Many will want to exploit it, if they realize exactly who you are. So, for now, I want you to say you are Kurenai's niece. It's fairly simple, considering your likeness to her. Most may even think you could be her daughter. Also, I want you to tell them you only just arrived from Suna. Do you understand?" _

_Akari nodded, taking a sip from her tea for the first time. It was now cold. _

_"I understand, Ojii-sama." _

Iruka smiled gently at the girl, realizing how shy she was as she barely spoke above a whisper. He pointed to the pup in her arms. "And this is?"

She blushed gently, as she held the shrunken wolf out for her new sensei to see better. "This is Yasunari. He is my wolf" She seemed to come out of her shell, as she was asked about her summons. "I have another wolf! But she wasn't able to come today."

She became saddened by that fact, but smiled quickly, finding she liked her sensei. "I'll introduce myself to the class."  
Turning her attention away from Iruka, she looked to all of the students, taking them all in at once.

"Hello, everyone!" She said, her voice only wavering slightly. "I am Akari Shinaho!" Yasunari nuzzled into her, bringing her more confidence. "I come from Sunagakure, and that," she pointed at Kurenai, "Is my aunt Kurenai."  
The red eyed woman smiled warmly at the girl nodding. "Kakashi, we should take our leave."

The silver haired man nodded and waved a quick good bye to the girl, before leaving. He just caught Akari's wave, from the corner of his eye, and smiled as the door closed behind him.

He heard the young girl speak loudly, introducing Yasunari and talking about Hiyori.  
Kakashi looked at Kurenai, smiling, and whispered, "She is so open and talkative. If we could get rid of her nervousness, I am sure it would be much easier for her."

Kurenai nodded her head in agreement, her messy brown hair bouncing as she did so. "Yes, but that is something to work on later."

Back in the class room, Akari smiled brightly at the class, before giving a bow. "Where do I sit, Iruka-sensei?"  
Iruka smiled at the now confident girl and pointed to the back of the room. She followed his finger and saw there was a seat open, next to a black haired girl. She had a curious look on her face, with two orange streaks framing her face, bangs hanging over her eyes. But Akari could have sworn that the girl was covered in what seemed to be like tiger stripes. The girls cat like eyes were green, just like Hiyori's and two small cat ears stuck out from her hair.

Akari ran up the steps and sat next to her, happily. She liked the girl already.

"Hi, I am Akari." She whispered quietly, as Iruka resumed his lesson.  
The black and orange haired girl turned her attention briefly to Akari before turning back to Iruka, pretending to pay attention.  
Akari was a bit miffed, as the girl seemed to barely care she was there, let alone show her any enthusiasm. Maybe she was wrong about this girl. But when the green eyes crinkled slightly, and smile formed on the other girls lips, she realized she had made the right assumption.  
The black haired girl looked at her, again, murmuring her name quickly, before turning back so it seemed she was paying attention.

_Kisa... that's a pretty name. Kisa Tora. _"Your last name means tiger," Akari whispered, feigning listening, as Kisa did. "It fits you."

Kisa blushed slightly before nodding. The girl whispered lowly, so no one near her heard, "and you're a princess of the five nations. I wouldn't say hime fits you, but your first name means light. And I'd say you just made the room a whole lot brighter when you walked in." Kisa winked at the girl, making Akari giggle.  
But then, Akari turned serious. "How'd you know who I am?"

"Books." was all Kisa said, facing the front of the room.

Akari sighed, "Well, you aren't from here. I believe you are from the land of whirlpools. The fallen nation, right?"  
Kisa gasped. "How'd you..."

"Books." Akari responded, interrupting the girl.

Slowly, they both broke into grins. "I like you." The black haired girl said.

"Same to you, Tiger." Akari said.

"Light princess."

"Tiger princess."

Kisa scowled at being called a princess before they both broke out into laughter, forgetting they were in class. A bark from Iruka silenced them both, and they struggled to stifle their giggles.

"Akari-hime, shut up and listen." She heard the low growl from Yasunari.  
Both girls looked down to the wolf, seemingly asleep on the desk in front of Akari. "He can talk?" Kisa wondered.

"Hai." Akari whispered back. "He is my summons."

The tiger girl looked at Akari and smiled. "I have summons too." she said. She opened up her jacket to reveal two sleeping Calico kittens.

"They're cute."

"Names are Karisa and Kanami."

"You should meet my other summons, Hiyori. She is a wolf, but sometimes I think she should be a tiger. She has strips all over her, like you."

The girls grinned at each other before crossing pinkies. "I can tell we are going to best friends, already."

* * *

A/N:  
Okay guys, I am really, really sorry that it took me so long to add this chapter! I had a lot of family things going on, and we only have one computer, so it took me bloody FOREVER to get to do this!

But, once I finally got the computer, everything I wanted to write just sped out of me. I'm not gonna lie, it only took me about a half hour to an hour to write all of this. I had a LOT of idea's going on in my head, so there was no thinking about it as I wrote.

Honestly, I wanted to add SOO MUCH MORE! But once I clicked save, just to see how far I was, I was honestly shocked. Last week, I had made it to around 934 words, and suddenly, I am at 3,454. XD

So, yeah! To make it up to you guys, I am going to try and add chapter 10 within the next two days. (which, with how I am, will be by midnight tonight). XD THAT'S A PROMISE OF A LIFETIME!

Thanks for those of you who are still willing to read this, though. It means a lot to me. :)

AND HEY! YOU GUYS MET KISA! TOLD YOU SHE WOULD SHOW UP! 3 I love her so much! She honestly, may be my favorite. I do mean that. Akari is awesome and all, but Kisa is just... AH! XD I love it.

But I'll leave ya alone now.

Bye!

~Peace, Love and Pixie Dust!

-Falling Stars


	10. Anniversary! Sensory and Interrogation

**CHAPTER TEN: _Anniversary! Sensory and Interrogation__  
_**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do

* * *

Akari walked to the back of the classroom, followed by two shadows which were her summons.  
She had already been in school for a month, and Hiyori finally managed to shrink herself down to the size of a large chihuahua. In other words, she was about the size of a shoe box, when she was laying down.

The three tails jinchuriki sat down in the seat next to her best friend, Kisa Tora.

"Tiger princess" She greeted, as she put her bag down gingerly. Yasunari and Hiyori jumped up on the desk, taking up the rest of the space.  
Grumbling, Kisa acknowledged her best friend, mumbling a quiet, "Wolf princess."

Over time, Kisa had changed the nickname, after meeting Hiyori as well. And once Akari had realized that the two calico kittens were actually tigers who could transform into smaller cats, they realized the names fit perfectly. So Wolf princess was quickly given to Akari.

Both girls turned to each other, growling in annoyance at their nicknames before breaking out into smirks. "How was your weekend?" Kisa questioned.  
Akari shuddered at the memory.

_Akari walked into the training room, like she did every day. Certain days dictated certain lessons. Today, she would be learning more ninjutsu and taijutsu.  
__Kakashi Hatake, along with a strange man, stood in the middle of the room. _

_Akari greeted her uncle, and bowed to stranger kindly. _

_"Aw, such youth!" the man muttered, more to himself then to her. Kakashi coughed, breaking the other man from his thoughts.  
The man raised a thick, caterpillar brow, that vanished into his bowl cut hair.  
She tried not to shrink back from the odd man. _

_The man smiled brightly at her, teeth seeming to sparkle in the light, as he gave her a thumbs up. "Name is Gai Lee!" He shouted, obviously excited, though for some unknown reason.  
"Kakashi here as asked me to train you in the art of taijutsu. I can see you are a young youth, with a bright spirit. Let us begin!"_

_Both occupants sweat dropped at the mans enthusiasm, before training began.  
And Akari could honestly say that may have been the hardest thing she had to do in her life._

Sweat dropping, she looked to her best friend and tried for a smile, but she flinched. Kisa immediately noticed, bluntly stating the obvious. "Tough training, huh? What was it this time?"

Akari slammed her head on the table, her summons looking at her in worry. Her whispered words barely heard, so she spoke a second time. "Taijutsu with Gai-sensei. That man is a true slave driver."

Kisa chuckled at her friend, as above Akari's head formed a grey cloud and lightening shot out from it. "You obviously have been working on your mastery of the elements."  
The jinchuriki nodded, vigorously. "Oh, I'll say. These two," She pointed to a sleeping Hiyori and an alert Yasunari, "have been driving me up the wall, through the roof and into the sky with their lessons and attacks. Not to mention Kakashi-oji and Kurenai-oba. Both of them push me to the brink." Her voice lowered so no one could hear her. Not that anyone would. They had both arrived to class early, specifically so they could talk more. "If it weren't for Sanbi and my already fast healing ability, I don't think I'd be here today."

The tiger girl nodded her head, before looking to the summons on the desk. "Hey, you two." Sleepily, the two summons looking the direction of the voice. "Be nice to Wolf-hime!"  
Hiyori growled, laying her head back on the desk, while Yasunari looked at her warily. "She needs to learn, Tora. We teach her what she needs to know. Believe me, she is quit strong as it is. She could possibly make chunin, already."

Both girl's eyes grew large at that statement. "I could?"  
Yasunari nodded is head, tiredly. "Yes, now leave me alone so I can sleep."

Akari sighed, remembering the grey wolf hardly slept at home. "Fine, you old wolf." she growled playfully.

Akari and Kisa remained in silence, as the room quickly began to fill with students, then finally their sensei, Iruka.  
Both feigned listening, as they signed to each other, in their made up language and giggled.

~0000000000000000000~

It was just after school, and Akari walked with Kisa back to her current residence. A small house that was abandoned years ago, resting just outside the red light district. The house was useless, with no electricity and no food, but it provided shelter from the rain and Kisa had managed to find candles and a lighter.

"You know," Akari said, as they stopped in front of the beat up old house, "You are free to come live with me."

Kisa shook her head as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I would, Wolf, but I still have things to do."

Hiyori, now back to her full size, nodded in agreement with Akari. "Akari-hime has a point. The offer stands. Come live with us, when you have completed your self appointed mission."  
Tora nodded at the giant tiger, before sighing. "Honestly, I could probably use the help. But I am not yet ready to live with you guys, yet. Just... a shock, I guess. How bout we make a deal?"

Akari's interest peaked as she stared at her best friend. "You learn two really cool new jutsu's or techniques within a month, and I do too. We show off, and the class will be the judge. Whoever they deem the coolest is the winner. If you win, I live with you. If I win,.." Kisa drifted off into thought.  
Without thinking, words sputtered out of Akari's mouth. "I'll take you out for all you can eat, and I'll give you one of my families old weapons."

Kisa raised an eyebrow in thought. "You mean..."

"Yup."

"The one that stays locked up in that room?"

"You know it."

"Are you serious?"

Akari nodded her head, quickly. "Asbo-freaking-lutely. Promise," she said, as Kisa finished, "of a lifetime."

Smiling, the girls crossed their pinkies together and bumped fists. "Sometimes, I am convinced the two of you are boys." Hiyori muttered as she began to walk away.  
"Come on, Akari-hime! We have a bet to win!"

The girls giggled as Akari ran and jumped onto Hiyori's back. "Run like the wind, Bullseye!" She shouted, waving good bye to her best friend.  
Yasunari bowed to Kisa, giving warm words, before taking off after the other two.

~00000000000000000000~

Today was a big day.

A really, sad, depressing big day.  
It had officially been a year since her parent's death, and she wasn't sure she could handle it.  
Thankfully, most people felt the depressing aura from her room, and stayed far away. The Hokage even made the exception of her skipping school that day. So, instead, she sat in her room, and had deliberately ordered her summons away.

She didn't want to be around anybody right now.

But she couldn't stop herself from somehow missing the contact of a person.

She found their were many desires she now craved, when she fell into this depression.  
Akari only hoped no one else realized it.

Sitting on her bed, a small pocket knife in hand, she stared at her arm for a good four minutes, before taking an extremely deep breath.

She wouldn't do it.

The three tails jinchuriki wouldn't do it.

Throwing the offending weapon as hard as she could, she watched as it sailed through the air and screwed into the wall with deadly accuracy. Embedded into the wall, it didn't fall away, and she could only stare as the object remained in the air.  
_Annoying... _she thought, briefly to herself. _For once, I'd like to see it fall. _

Sighing, she moved to the wall and pulled the knife out, resting it gently on her bedside table.

_I suppose... _she began, _I should probably read over the scrolls now.I have been training hard in these knew ways, but I would like to learn about my family... They have remained untouched since I received them. _

Delicately, she reached down under her bed and pulled out scroll after scroll, until her bed was covered. Dusting off the first one, which was blue like the rest, with a green flower design, she opened it.  
She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but certainly not this.

The first half was dedicated to their armor and clothing for war and battle.

_Women are supposed to wear customized kimono's, while men get away with the typical ninja gear? _She sighed, _Annoying.  
_But, from the designs of the dresses, she could honestly say that the battle clothes were not only beautiful, but effective. Some outfits even resembled Kurenai's look, making her wonder if maybe they really were related.

_I think I'd like one. That green one, and the blue one are really pretty. I'd like a black one too. _

Happily, and fully intrigued, she read on until something unique caught her eye.

_Unique Clan Jutsu _

_Crystal Technique _

Akari read furiously, absorbing all the information until she finally screamed in glee.

_This jutsu is a kekkai genkai, which passes over generations.  
__It is rare, even among the clan. _

_The chakra natures must all be natural, and are as follows:  
Lighting  
Water  
Earth _

Akari summoned her tiger and wolf quickly, and without another word, motioned for them to follow her.  
She had to show this to her sensei's.

~00000000000000000000~

The princess of the sanbi walked out of the training room soundlessly, as she had been trained to do by her father since she was two.  
Her skills had exponentially increased since arriving in Konoha, but she wanted nothing more then to learn the clan jutsu's.  
And the Hokage was willing to help her.

Though she was extremely excited at the fact, she couldn't bring herself to feel any joy from it.

As soon as their discussion was over, it finally crashed on her, yet again, that her family was dead.

Hiyori and Yasunari watched uncomfortably from the sidelines, worrying immensely for the girl, but knowing she needed space.

"Maybe you should go on a walk." Hiyori suggested, Yasu nodding in agreement. "It'll help clear your head. But be back by sunset."  
That was code for two hours.

Nodding, Akari ran at break neck speed, the two summons almost unable to spot her.

"Training with Gai Lee has done her a lot of good. But wait until he brings out the weights. Her speed will be undeniable."  
Hiyori nodded in agreement. "She may become so powerful, even we wont be able to keep up."

"I hope that's not the case."

"As do I."

~00000000000000000000~

Akari walked aimlessly through Konoha, not knowing where she was going and certainly not knowing whether or not she was being followed.  
All she noticed was the tears that were threatening to fall down her face.  
Yet, she denied them.

Already, there were people who knew what she was.

She wasn't sure how, but they did. Even if it was a taboo thing. Gossipers will gossip, I suppose.  
So, as she walked along the road, being called a beast, a monster, a demon, all the while being laughed at, and hit by random flying objects was clearly not helping her stay calm.

_Why today? Why can't they just leave me alone today?_

She hadn't realized she got her wish, until she felt three presences behind her.

Turning, she was greeted to the sight of a rather large boy, dressed in a red shirt, black pants and black sandals.  
On his shirt was a gang sign.  
The two behind him were in similar garb, but their shirts were white. They were obviously the large boys lackey's.

"You're on the wrong side of town, princess." Akari scowled. There were few she tolerated referring to her as princess. These gang of punks wasn't on that list.  
Looking around, she realized she was now in the red light district and sighed. _This just got a whole lot harder. _

Akari brought her fists in front of her face, elbows close to her chest, as she stood in a battle ready stance.  
Sensei's, let's hope you trained me well enough to fight off a couple of goons.

The boy with the red shirt, she now noticed, was extremely scarred and hard pressed, while the two behind him were jumpy, nervous, and didn't have a scratch on them.  
_Che, newbies. _

Charging forward, dodging past the leader, she punched the first boy, a blonde boy who looked like he better belonged with his face in a textbook, in the face. Her own force alone was enough to send the boy flying back into a wall about ten meters away.  
The second lackey cringed, but stood his ground. _Oh, he's brave. _She commended slightly, before giving him the same treatment as the blonde. He had been prepared though, so the first two punches he was able to catch, while the third caught him by surprise. Giving him a nasty right hook, he slammed into the wall next to his friend, and crumpled to the ground.

Akari turned to face the leader, but realized he wasn't there.

"Boo!"

She turned just in time to see a quick red flash before he disappeared again. _Fast... Really fast. _

That was all she was able to think before she suddenly felt her airway close off. Looking up, she saw the boy behind her, his hand placed cleanly against her throat, intent to kill oozing off of him.  
_Sensory skills need some serious work, _She thought, as black spots appeared before her eyes. She desperately tried punching the boy, but she was getting weaker by the second. _Mom, dad, I'll see you soon. _

She just managed to see a white blur of fury, along with a red faced boy, and another with pineapple styled hair, before she blacked out.

~0000000000000000000~

"Hey, hey!" someone seemed to shout.  
If she had to guess, they were right above her head.

Where was she?

"I think she is waking up!"

Akari opened her eyes, but closed them again, hissing as the light blinded her.  
Slowly, she tried again, taking in the sight above her.  
Pineapple hair on one side, canines on the other.

Looking between the two faces, she sighed. "Would you two move so I can sit up?"  
Blushing, both boys pushed away from their position so they were seated on either side of her.

"Glad to know princess Aurora has joined us once again." The canine faced boy said.  
Akari scowled at him. "I'm not sleeping beauty, dog breath."  
Beside her, the one with spiky pony tail hair snickered. She turned her annoyance to him. "What are you laughing at, pineapple?"

That shut him up.

She looked at both the boys in annoyance before asking a very important question. "Who the hell are you?"

She hesitated. "And why are you in the red light district?"

Pineapple answered first, his lazy voice calming her. "Well, if you hadn't noticed, we're no longer in the red light district."  
Akari looked around in shock, to realize they were in fact, about a mile from Kisa's house. "We carried you here after you passed out. We didn't know where you lived, and it'd be to troublesome to ask around, so we waited here."

Dog breath spoke next. "Honestly, we thought you were gonna be out for a lot longer. You only were out for about fifteen minutes."

Akari sighed, before annoyance reigned supreme, once again. "That does not tell me your names." she said matter-of-factly.  
Both boys sighed, before the one on her right, Pineapple, spoke again. "Shikamaru Nara," he responded. Then the boy on her left answered, "And Kiba Inuzuka. And this little furball," the boy held up a white dog, "Is Akamaru."

Akari nodded, accepting the answer. She vaguely remembered them being in her class. Shikamaru was always asleep. Even Kiba seemed to doze off, now and again. "Well, I'm-"  
She was broken off when pineapple spoke again. "Akari Shinaho! Three tails jinchuriki, princess of Suna."  
The princess scowled at the two boys. "No need to tell the whole world."

"Excuse me, hime, but most already know you're a jinchuriki. What we want to know is why no one knows who you really are." Kiba responded.

The girl glared harshly at Kiba before turning her glare to Shikamaru. He was lazy, but he was intelligent, leaving no doubt in her mind who had figured out who she was.  
Shikamaru threw his hands up, in defense. "Hey now, I thought more people knew about the Shinaho clan. I didn't realize it was a well kept secret. Not to mention, it seems its kept even more so, since your arrival. Why is that?" Shikamaru leaned forward, obviously trying to intimidate her, and she couldn't lie. It was working.

_Make that sensory and avoiding interrogation. _

"I..." Today was a really bad day to talk about it. It was still the anniversary, and she just wasn't willing to talk about it. Not with friends and not with strangers. "I'll tell you at a later date." She said, before standing. "I said I would be home before sunset. I have to go."

Kiba and Shikamaru followed after her. "We'll walk you home, hime!" Kiba said happily, putting an arm over her shoulder.  
Shikamaru walked with his hand's in his pockets, on the other side of Akari.

She didn't have a choice. They were going to come along anyway.

"Fine." She mumbled, as they walked, both boys smiling brightly.


	11. Training! Whiskers, Tattoo's and Dresses

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: _Training! Whiskers, Tattoo's and Dresses _**

**disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do

* * *

"Again!"

Akari got up from the floor, to face her current instructors. She had been training with most for over a year and a half, but Gai sensei had only been around for a couple months. Still, everyone knew as soon as he had begun teaching her, that they had made the right choice.  
The princess had gotten much faster, and much stronger since she met Gai.

Not really because she admired him, and aspired to be just like him, but more like her drove her to aspire to greatness. And although the man was strange, he knew how to get her going. "Come on! You are young! You must aspire to things greater then me, and your other teachers." he would chant.  
That made Akari smile.

"You got it."

She ran at Gai full force, the weights he had given her holding her down considerably, but she was still fast in her own right. Kakashi watched from the sidelines, Asuma and Kurenai next to him.  
They had decided to test the child's limits. Training since she was three made it obvious she should be able to handle the strain her body was taking.  
There were times when all of them, including Hiyori and Yasunari would attack her. But, sometimes, they decided to take it easy on her. Right now was not the case, as Kakashi stepped forward, forming his chidori.

It was at the lowest setting, so if it made contact, it would only cause a small shock. Nothing too serious.

Asuma stepped forward, simply allowing wind chakra to spread over his hands, while Kurenai readied her self for simple genjustu tricks.

Both wolf summons were watching from the back of the room, neither really interested in beating their summoner to a pulp. They did that last week. So instead, they watched as the four sensei's surround the girl, giving her no escape, except one.  
Remembering what Hiyori and Yasunari had taught her, she quickly used the substitution jutsu, using her sand clone. She then quickly slipped herself down into the earth. Kakashi was the only one who fully seemed to catch what was going on, and he laughed. _That's my move. _He realized. _Though I usually don't use sand clones. _

But, Kakashi decided to take it easy on the child, and followed the actions of the other jonin. Aim at the clone.  
Everyone but Kakashi cringed as they made contact, but sobered up when the clone slowly crumbled apart.

Akari, taking her chance, brought her hands out of the ground and pulled Kakashi down first. He was most dangerous, because she knew he would recognize her actions. Then, he pulled Gai-sensei down. He was the most brutal.

Finally, she came out of the ground, with a smile on her face. She knew her sensei's well, leaving Asuma, who would never fight her with the intent to kill, and Kurenai, who most often used genjutsu.  
"Release." As the genjutsu was removed, she saw everything as it clearly was. Asuma and Kurenai were no longer in front of her, but behind her. Kunai pointed at her throat.

"Very good Akari." Kurenai commended. "You saw through it and released it. I am proud of you. But still, you would be dead now. You realized it was genjutsu far too late. You are too slow to react."

The princess nodded, as the kunai were dropped from her neck. "I really need to work on my sensory skills. I kind of really suck." All her sensei's laughed, as Kakashi and Gai pulled themselves out of the ground.

"You made an excellent choice, by the way." Kakashi responded.

"Obviously Kakashi and I are the two strongest and most dangerous," Gai was slapped on the back of the head by Kurenai, making him cringe slightly. Akari giggled at the sight of her sensei cringing. It seemed that finally shut him up from his speech of youthfulness and the like. "Well, anyway," he began again, "Kakashi recognized your move, seeing as it is one of his. And my taijutsu overwhelms people greatly, and in your current condition, I would have beat you easily. Then Asuma tends to fight more with ninjutsu and his chakra, which I'm sure you realized we are all running lower on so you could have beat him with taijutsu, while Kurenai fights more with genjutsu and assassination. So you would just have to release the genjutsu and attack her with your weapon."

The two summons on the other side of the room, put in their two cents. "She didn't have her weapons on her remember. You wanted her to fight with simply ninjutsu and taijutsu."

Gai nodded, "right, right, but in a battle scenario, that would be the ideal situation."

Akari nodded, bowing to her sensei's. "Thank you." She said happily. "But I have to go! I'll see you all tomorrow!"

The four teachers waved their student good bye, as her summons followed her out the door.

Kakashi turned to the others. "Our princess sure has grown."

The others nodded in agreement. "And Hokage-sama is helping her learn a clan jutsu. I also heard there is a special communication jutsu, within her clan that the summons are helping her with." Kurenai added.

"She will be a deadly force to be reckoned with, by the time she makes jonin." Asuma stated.

The others nodded solemnly. "How much longer did Lord Hokage give us?" Gai questioned, youthful speeches and odd bouts of challenges forgotten.  
"He wants her to be fully trained in genjutsu by the time she graduates. He wants to keep an incident like what happened with Ryuu, from happening again." The others nodded.

"We can do that."

~000000000000000000000~

Akari walked outside, followed by a red, stripped wolf that looked more like a kitten and a grey wolf cub. Ever since she told them of her encounter in the red light district, they had been wary of leaving her alone.  
The princess didn't mind. They were her friends, after all.

"Let's walk through the village, yeah?" Akari hummed.

Hiyori mumbled her response. "Yeah, okay."

Amused, Yasunari spoke. "But let's stay away from the red light district."  
Akari glared at him, though there was no anger in the glare. Just friendly amusement and slight annoyance.

"If you say so, Yasu." She said cheekily. "Personally, I thought it was a fun place."

Yasunari growled, Hiyori howled with laughter. "How many times have we told you, hime. You always manage to find trouble. I always knew you liked it! You're like me in that sense!"

The grey wolf barked, in humor. "And yet she has the name Wolf princess, half tiger."

The stripped wolf growled at her friend, before turning back to Akari.

They had just exited the hokage compound and were walking through the town. Akari was thankful that people on this side didn't seem to know she was a jinchuriki. Or if they did, they didn't seem to care. It may have had something to do with ojii-sama, she had no doubt, but it didn't really matter to her.  
They still treated her like she was human.

Not like a beast.

Walking into a store, followed by the half-kitten and cub, she moved straight to the back where they customized outfits.  
The women at the desk greeted her with a warm smile asking her the customary, "How may I help you?"

Akari, wracked with nervousness, temporarily forgot how to speak. Instead, she pulled out a scroll from her bag, and unraveled it to reveal the kimono's her family were once known for.  
The blonde women looked at the scroll, to the girl and back at the scroll before a smile took over her face.

"Oh I see!" she cheered. "You got it cutie," her voice was warm and soothing. Akari found that she liked the voice and broke herself from her nervousness.  
"Ah, right!" Akari said. "I um... I wondered if you could make me a blue one, a black one, and a green one?"  
The woman gave another friendly smile, pushing her glasses back up her nose, while nodding. "Of course, dear. Come back here so I can do your measurements."

Akari followed the woman into the back of the store, where the woman pulled out a tape measure. Hiyori and Yasu watched from the sidelines, as not to trip people as they walked by. Especially considering the woman hadn't noticed them yet.

"Tell me more about how you'd like the designs?" the woman asked, her voice welcoming and open. She obviously knew the girl was nervous, and was trying to soothe her.  
"Well, I need it to be made similar to battle gear. But I want it to be light and loose, if that's understandable?" The woman nodded, realizing this child was a kunoichi in training.

"That is something we can absolutely do. Anything else?"

The princess nodded, looking to her summons before looking to the woman. "My next stop is to get my clan tattoo, on my arm. My father had it, my mother had it, and I think I should have it, as well." The brunette child answered, smiling ever so slightly. But the woman saw the pain behind that smile. "I am getting it on my left shoulder." She continued, "So I would like the kimono's to either have no left sleeve, or be entirely sleeveless. And I would like the clan symbol on the bottom right, of the front of every dress."

The woman nodded her head enthusiastically. "What is your symbol, dear?"

"The Shinaho clan symbol. A water dragon circling the kanji for earth."

The woman gasped slightly, stopping her work. She knew of the Shinaho clan, vaguely. They were rumored to be extremely powerful, though that was all she knew. Nothing more then rumors and legends.  
Resuming her work, she smiled. "I will see to it. Can you draw the symbol for me?"

Akari motioned her hand to her summons, and the wolf cub went up in smoke before returning with a small bandana in his mouth. The woman gasped, when she saw the small dog, murmuring a faint aw, before taking the cloth from Yasunari's mouth.  
She looked over the design carefully, examining every detail in it, before nodding. "One more question. How many do you want?"

The girl jumped down from the stool, resting her hands on her hips, thinking. "I want as many as you can make. But at the minimum, I want four black dress, four green, and four blue."

~00000000000000000000000~

Hiyori cringed as she watched the sight in front of her.  
Yasunari barely seemed to notice, ignoring the faint grunts of pain, in favor for observing the area.

Akari sat on a chair, a man in a white coat standing beside her, with a needle in his hand. "Would you stay still?" he asked, as he held her arm in place.  
She flinched back as needle met skin, once again. Inhaling in relief when he removed the needle again, she breathed out, "you're more brutal then Gai-sensei."  
The man gave her a quizzical look, before going back to his work.

"I warned you before hand. When I pump chakra into it, it's going to sting."

She clinched her teeth in annoyance. "It. Doesn't. Sting. It hurts," she took in a deep breath and hissed. "like you just cut off three pounds of flesh."

Hiyori cringed again when she saw Akari growl and flinch away, as the man poured another round of chakra into the ink.  
Getting up from her corner, she jumped onto her summoners lap, and purred in an attempt to calm her down. Akari relaxed physically, as her tiger-wolf cub curled into her lap and she noticed the tattoo stung less.

"I told you relaxing would help."

"Shut up and finish the bloody thing."

The man sighed as he pulled out some bandages. "I am already done. Shinaho clan symbol, infused with your three chakra natures. Honestly kid, I'm impressed you could change between the three, let alone give me any of it while I was working."  
Once he finished wrapping her arm, she shrugged. "Sensei taught me."

She got up, picking up Hiyori as she moved, and was about to leave for the door when the man spoke again. "Remember, be careful with it, and clean the tattoo daily for a month. You can remove the wrap in two weeks!"

Akari nodded her head as she pushed the door open.

"Now what, Yasu?" she asked as she pet the sleeping cub in her arms.

"Home." He answered, as he grew to his full size. He stood over Akari, at least a foot taller, now, as he lead her home.  
People cleared the path way, as they walked, too afraid to come near the large wolf.

They were nearly back to the hokage compound, when the wolf caught sound of a crash, and loud sobbing.  
Yasunari stopped, tilting his ears to listen, then rushed forward to the source, Akari following close behind. When they turned the corner, they caught sight of three very drunk men and a child no older then the princess, her self.

By now, Hiyori was awake, and jumped away from her summoner, changing mid-air. She was now the fearsome tiger-stripped wolf she was known to be, standing just a couple inches taller then Yasunari. Both summons growled angrily at the drunks, when their shouting was turned to them.

"Oh look! It's the other demon and her two slaves!" One man, who seemed less drunk then the others slurred.

All three now had their attention on the jinchuriki. Akari remained unaffected by their taunts, as Hiyori and Yasu guarded her faithfully from their flying bottles and weapons. One of them was a ninja.

This enraged Yasunari even more so, as he stepped forward, followed by Hiyori.

The men flinched back, but kept their taunting up.

One moved to the blonde boy, picking him up by the back of his neck. "Look at this, boys. The little demon boy is weak."  
He howled with laughter, as his glare turned towards Akari. "I bet she isn't any stronger."

That was the last thing needed to set the two summons off. Yasunari ran forward, pushing the ninja down first. He scratched at his clothes and face, but left no fatal wounds, as he jumped at the other.  
Both men had been too drunk to really put up a fight.

The third man, holding the blonde boy, had been the least drunk out of the group, and was holding off Hiyori fairly well.  
His face was scratched, where her claws had made contact and the blood was slowly pooling down his body. But neither seemed to notice, as the tiger was furiously trying to get the boy out of the mans grasp.  
Yasu ran forward, tugging at the mans arm. The man howled in pain, and threw the boy back.

Akari, not wasting a second, ran forward just in time to catch him. The boy had passed out, as the mans large hand was able to cut off his air circulation.  
She moved her head to his chest, to check for a beat, and sighed with relief when she heard a resounding thump, followed by another.

The man was taken care of quickly, begging for them to leave him alone. He ran off after that, leaving his buddies behind.

The tiger and wolf walked over to their summoner soon after, nudging her gently.  
She responded, "he's fine."

Both summons sighed with relief and Akari felt the weight of the child being lifted off her body. Hiyori lifted him gently, and rested him on the grey wolfs back, as gingerly as possible. The boy let out a soft moan of protest, but a peaceful expression made its way to his whiskered face after.

"They said he was an orphan," Grumbled the wolf. "We will take him home."

The others nodded, as they made their way forward.

"You know," Akari said, as she pushed the gate open to let the others in. "I know him from my class. I think he had said his name was Naruto Uzumaki."

The other two nodded. "Strange kid, isn't he?"

"Definitely."


	12. Jinchuriki! Ninja Club and Roommates

**CHAPTER TWELVE: _Jinchuriki! Ninja Club and Roommates _**

**disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  
**Also, I would like to add that I have made a change to the story! For those of you who are only reading this chapter, because you are keeping up with the story, this is to let you know that I changed something pretty major! Hiyori is no longer a tiger summons, but a wolf summons. They refer to her now, as a half tiger. In actuality, she is full wolf, but she carries tiger stripes on her body. She is still bigger then Yasunari, and her coat of fur is red, now. When she is in her chibi form, she looks a lot like a cat. Other then that, her eyes are still green and her personality remains. I did this ONLY because it was the easiest way to describe the names she earns in the future and why she wasn't given the nickname sooner. Thanks guys! :) **

* * *

Naruto let out a small groan, as he slowly began to waken up.  
He vaguely thought he heard voices above and around him, but he wasn't sure.

His eyes stung as he tried to blink them open, and quickly shut them again.

The room went silent before a quiet and happy voice responded, "Hey, guys! I think he is waking up."  
The blonde boy tried to turn his head in the direction of the voice but found that his neck was still stiff from the hold the man had on him previously.  
Instead, he allowed his voice to leave him in a raspy way as he asked, "What happened?"

There was a quick shuffling, before the lights seemed to fade out. But then he realized, it was only because a girls head was now in the way. He blinked a couple times, to relieve the stinging in his eyes, before taking her in.  
Brown hair with red and blonde highlights, bright bronze eyes, a cute and happy smile. He recognized her.

"Akari..." He mumbled out, through a raspy breath.

The girl gave him a closed eyed smile, as she remained over him, blocking the bright lights. "Yo, knucklehead. Thought you weren't gonna wake up for a little while, there." She let out a small chuckle before stepping back and moving her hands behind the boy. Without permission, she helped sit him up and shoved a cup of water in his face.  
He stared at the glass of water, before looking at her cynically. She sighed, "You and I both know that you need some water in your system. You were nearly choked to death, and your voice is raspy and I can't imagine it feels good. So either you drink it willingly or I shove it down your throat."

Naruto's eyes went wide before he grabbed the cup and started chugging it down. "Akari," there was a voice from far behind the blonde. "You didn't have to scare him. He would have drank it eventually."  
As the voice spoke, the figure belonging to it stepped out of the darkness. It was a large red wolf, marked with black and red-orange tiger stripes. "Hiyori?" the boy asked. He had never seen either summons in their true form. Him and most of the class believed the two had just been stray cubs she had found.

"In the flesh." the large tiger-wolf said proudly, before turning back to her summoner. "Still," she said, "it was kind of funny."

Akari giggled, nodding in agreement. "Let's just hope Yasu never finds out."

"Find out what?"

Akari, Naruto and Hiyori all froze at the voice. Akari looking behind her saw the grey figure of her guardian and best friend, Yasunari stepping out of the shadows. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, still not used to the fact that two small wolf cubs were now full grown, larger then average wolves.

"Nothing, Yasu, nothing." Hiyori replied, laughing slightly. Akari followed after, though her laugh was less convincing.  
Looking to the side, Yasunari saw their ward was now awake and sighed. "I want the truth later, alright?"

The tiger wolf and wolf princess nodded vigorously. "You got it!"

The grey wolf turned his attention back to the boy. "Your name. It's Uzumaki Naruto, is it not?"  
The blonde boy's eyes grew wide before he slapped himself in the face. "Duh, of course you know my name. Akari is in my class! Believe it!"

The grey wolf sighed, before nodding. Muttering under his breath, "like his mother too, I see." though it wasn't heard by Akari, Hiyori had caught his voice and looked at him in question. The grey wolf shook his head. "Mr. Uzumaki wo-"

"Call me Naruto." The blue eyed boy interrupted.

The wolf nodded. "Naruto, could you tell us what was happening in the village today? Why they attacked you?"

The boy cringed slightly before nodding. "I-I... Well, basically the whole village hates me. I don't know how or why, just that they do. It gets worse around my birthday. It's actually coming up, next month. But the thing is, they keep calling me a demon. I don't know why. I heard them call Akari one earlier. Why is that?"

Everyone's attention turned to the young girl, who sucked in a deep breath. She might as well confess to it. She had yet to accept the fact and now was as good a time as any. "I am a jinchuriki of one of the nine tailed beasts." She said, Naruto gasped. "I hold the Sanbi. The three tails."

Suddenly, everything seemed to click in her mind. "I... Naruto, are you?"

"Am I what?"  
Akari sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Are you a jinchuriki?"

The boys eyes went wide as he thought about it. It would make sense, and they call him a demon, but he wasn't totally sure. No one would clarify for him. He had asked once why they called him demon but he got cast aside without further information. "I don't think so..." he began.  
Before he could say another word, Akari ran to him, grabbed his arm and tugged him up from the bed. "Come on!" She shouted, excitedly.

"Where are we going?" he questioned, stumbling as she ran.

"To the hokage! I got a couple questions for the old man!"

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been making quick work of the piles of paperwork on his desk.  
_Sign, stamp, sign, stamp, _he sighed. "I need a tea break," he decided. Pushing his chair back from the desk, he began to stand when he felt the floor shaking. "Dear lord, if Akari blew something up again..." Just as he was about to finish his statement, the door busted open, revealing an all too familiar brunette and a familiar blonde as well.

"Akari-hime, Naruto," the old man began. "What is wrong? What brings you here?"

Akari walked straight up to the desk, planting her hands firmly against the wood as she stood. "Is Naruto a jinchuriki?"

The old man's face paled slightly, his mouth gaping like a fish out of water. He tried to find words to speak but couldn't as he stared at the child who was like his granddaughter. "I mean, the village calls him a demon. They call me a demon. He was born on the day of the Kyuubi attack, and his parent's were th-". What she was about to say was cut off firmly by a grey tail belonging to her wolf summons.  
When he was sure that he had silenced her, Yasunari backed away, sitting at Hiruzen's side.

The old man looked to the wise summons. He then noticed Hiyori was located just outside the door, watching everything progress. He sighed. "I suppose it was time I tell you, Naruto, but I was hoping it would remain a secret for much longer."  
Looking to the boy, he continued. "You are a jinchuriki, host to the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Kurama."

The blonde boys eyes went wide, "are you serious?" he asked.  
The summons and Sarutobi nodded. "Yes."

Akari cheered. "I'm not alone! I thought I was all alone here, but not anymore." She turned to look at the blonde. "I had another jinchuriki friend, back in Suna. His name was Gaara." She explained to the blonde. "Maybe you can meet him one day."

She smiled at the thought. Then, she realized something. "Old man, why do they call us demons? Our name means human sacrifice, and I accept that, but I am no demon. Though some chunin may disagree." She closed her eyes and smiled brightly, putting her fingers up in a peace sign. "But we all know who I really am."  
The old man sighed as he placed his hands on his desk and thought.

"You both are looked down upon as demons because people cannot get over their hatred for the beast that you host. To them, you are simply a vessel the bijuu may take over at any time. They do not see you as people, once you are made a jinchuriki. They see you as the demon which resides in you." He turned his focus to Akari.  
"Here, they do not treat you quite so bad, as you're bijuu has never attacked us in our history," he began.

Akari quickly concluded what he was getting at. "But the Mizukage, Raikage, and Kazekage, not to mention their villages, would all hate me. Much like they hate their own jinchuriki."

Sarutobi nodded. "So you have seen it?"

The princess nodded.

"Um, guys?" Naruto said. "I don't think I understand what's going on."

Hiyori piped in, scaring Naruto half out of his wits. "She has nightmares, knucklehead. All related to the bijuu she hosts. He shows her his past. She knows what he has done. Who he has killed and the like."  
Naruto's eyes went wide. "Talk about a personal hell."

Akari couldn't help it, and she didn't know why. She started laughing. "You got it!" She declared, as her laughing fit died down. "You got it." She mumbled sadly.  
"Old man," Akari said, looking to her grandfather figure, "I think it's time I go. I have to train with Gai-sensei and Kakashi-oji. Are Kurenai-oba and Asuma-otou still on their mission?"  
The old man nodded. "They'll be back tonight."

"Great." Akari nodded as she pulled the blonde boy out of the room.

"Pack your bags, knucklehead. You're living her with me, now."

* * *

Akari walked down the hallway proudly, as she dragged behind her a very hesitant blonde boy. His whisker marks scrunched up as he mouthed his distress to passersby.  
Most people paid him no attention, as they scurried to work past the princess, working on their daily activities.  
Finally reaching the familiar double doors, she slid it open and stepped inside. Once she entered the room, she threw Naruto in the center. "Kakashi!" She heard her sensei shout. The bowl cut, bushy browed man sat to the side of the room, legs crossed over each other. "Your darling niece brought a boy!"

Kakashi ran into the room furiously, to see the blonde flat on his face and Akari standing over him with her foot on his back.  
He laughed. Shaking his head, he walked forward. "No, she brought a plaything. Isn't that right?"

Akari nodded triumphantly. "I want you to train him too, please!" She said. "He is a jinchuriki too. I know how villages treat jinchuriki and I know how they treat the ones that hold the bijuu that attacked the village. He isn't getting the right training he needs." She finished calmly. "Besides, he is gonna live here with us for a while."

"Say what?" the boy screeched from underneath her. "Don't I get a say in this?"

Akari shoved her foot into his back a little harder. "No, knucklehead, you don't."

"Akari-hime and Wolf princess my ass!" the blonde boy began. "You're more like the wicked witch of the west!"

Kakashi and Gai laughed, Akari growled, and the two wolf summons snickered quietly to themselves. "Boy you better watch it." She growled out calmly. "I might just turn into her and then I'll eat you."

The boy paled slightly, as he looked up at her. "Yo-you wouldn't..."  
Akari and everyone burst out into another fit of laughter. "No," she confessed, as she moved her foot to help him up. "But I will feed you to the sharks if you say something like that again."  
Sweat formed on Naruto's forehead, _This girl is crazy, _he realized, _She is worse then the wicked witch of the west._

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Naruto was forced to move in with the crazy jinchuriki princess. But he had to confess, for an eight year old, it was better then living on the streets or barely managing to live in his own place.  
Although he thought her strange at first, he quickly came to realize the princess full and true personality. She could be extremely blunt, but she always tried to be nice in someway. But she was _never _above playing pranks on unsuspecting or suspecting people.

Currently, they were on the run from Kakashi, as they had decided to put honey in his shampoo.

"Get back here!" Kakashi shouted, clearly annoyed. But he calmed down once he realized it could have been worse. _She could have damaged my Icha Icha books. _His eyes went wide. No, she couldn't have...

He turned around as fast as he could and ran straight back to his room.  
Cheering, the two high-fived as they walked into Akari's room. "That was awesome!" Naruto shouted, still feeling adrenaline from nearly getting kicked through a wall when Kakashi first found them. Akari giggled, "Yeah! I am just glad he never doubts my willingness to ruin his Icha Icha series... Not that I wouldn't do it, cause I so would. I am just not ready to deal with _that _angry side of Kakashi-oji."

Naruto laughed, "yeah you're right!" He looked outside to see the sun setting. "Hey, don't we have training tonight?" He asked.

Akari looked out the window to see the sun just above the tops of the trees. "Yeah, we better head over there or Gai-sensei will think he needs to up my weights." She felt sweat pool around her head slightly, as distress of even that possibility hit her in waves. "Let's go!" She shouted, before running out the door.

* * *

"Faster!" Gai shouted.  
"Naruto, aim a little lower!"

The clang of metal hitting metal filled the room a second later. "Good!" Gai cheered. "Excellent."  
Currently, Naruto and Akari were facing off.  
After two weeks of training, they had quickly realized Naruto was a prodigy in his own right. Although it seemed he was rather stupid, they realized he was actually very intelligent. Something Akari knew would have faded away if he had continued on his own much longer. Not only that, but he was an extremely fast learner, and already fast enough to outrun most ANBU.

After two weeks of some proper training, they had deemed him strong enough to face off Akari.

Naruto ran at his friend and roommate, dodging the kunai she threw. She still wasn't allowed to fight with her personalized weapons. They wanted to wait until she had mastered kunai and shuriken, along with taijutsu.  
Akari pushed her feet up off the ground, flipping in the air till she was behind Naruto. She threw her hand forward as she turned, and sparks flew as kunai met kunai. Jumping back, Naruto followed her and began kicking her legs, while aiming his fist to her face.

She dodged each fist quickly, before kicking his weapons arm away and flipping out of danger. Closing her eyes, she allowed her chakra to move around her, clearing her sensory for her. She could feel him.  
He attempted to fake left, trying to confuse her, but she felt him quickly shift to the right, body prepared to attack. She moved.  
Before he could even blink, she had jumped out of her place, as his fist made contact with the ground. Landing lithely behind him, she held a kunai to his neck.

But both knew the fight wasn't over. Without hesitating, Naruto grabbed her arm and threw her over his shoulder. She flew through the air, crashing into a wall. "Don't let your guard down!" Gai shouted to Akari, still guiding from the sidelines.

Akari groaned as she began to get up, "I know, I know."  
She stood, running forward, kunai out and ready. Their weapons met harshly, as their free hands flew to hit each others faces. Naruto aimed for her head, which she dodged as her fist made contact with his stomach. He flew back a couple feet and Akari coughed. "That was for throwing me into a wall."

Naruto growled, running forward, "Sure, whatever ya say!" He shouted as his fist made contact with her stomach. But it wasn't her. The Akari in front of him slowly shifted to sand, when he felt something beneath him. He looked down to see a small hand grab his ankle, tugging him down before he could jump away.  
Akari came back up from the ground, smiling happily down at Naruto. "I win!" She chanted.

"Not quite." she felt the cold tip of a kunai at her neck. Looking back, she saw the scar faced boy smiling behind her as the Naruto under her poofed out of existence.  
"Damnit," she muttered. "I so shouldn't have taught you that."

"Don't blame it on that, Akari." She heard Gai respond. "You underestimated him."

She growled, "Yeah, okay."

Faintly, there was clapping coming from outside the door. The two children turned their attention to the door, as Hiyori moved to push the door open. As soon as their was a crack in the entry way, two kids fell onto the floor on their faces.  
"Dog breath? Deer face?" Akari asked walking forward. "Hey! It is you guys! Awesome!"

She pulled both boys up and hugged them quickly. "But what are you doing here?"

Kiba spoke first. "We want training like that." He responded.  
"Mine is too troublesome, right now." Shikamaru put in, yawning slightly.

Akari turned back to look at Gai-sensei who smiled. "Aw, the ways of youth!" He chanted. Though his speeches had died down since he had begun teaching Akari, he still was known for it now and again. Gai nodded in acceptance. "I don't mind a few more students, and I don't suppose the others do either."

The princess smiled, before frowning slightly. "Only one more person I want you guys to train." she said. Gai looked at her, his question obvious. "Kisa Tora." She said.

"You have to train Tiger princess, too! After all, I am going to win the bet we made!"

Everyone sweat dropped but Akari kept smiling. "Right Yori? We practiced hard enough."

"Right, hime." Hiyori said. "But I think you should still give her the weapon."

"She would like that wouldn't she..."


	13. Jutsu! All Bets Are Go!

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: _Jutsu! All Bets Are Go! _**

**disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_The princess smiled, before frowning slightly. "Only one more person I want you guys to train." she said. Gai looked at her, his question obvious. "Kisa Tora." She said._

_"You have to train Tiger princess, too! After all, I am going to win the bet we made!"_

_Everyone sweat dropped but Akari kept smiling. "Right Yori? We practiced hard enough."_

_"Right, hime." Hiyori said. "But I think you should still give her the weapon."_

_"She would like that wouldn't she..."_

* * *

"Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei!" Two seven year old girls shouted as they ran down the hall of Konoha Academy.  
Both girls fought for the lead as they shoved and pushed each other out of the way.

Finally, their bodies crashed into the door. Their was a thud, and the door slid open.

"Kisa?" Iruka looked up from his desk, in shock. He had been concentrating contently on paper work for the Hokage, when the shouting had begun. "What is it?"

She held her finger up in gesture for him to wait a second, and turned her attention to the door. "Akari! Hurry up and get in here."  
The girl responded with a growl, picking herself up from where she had fallen to the floor. "Next time," Akari threatened. "Don't push me."

A cough from Iruka brought the children's attention back to the issue.

"Sorry, sensei." The tiger girl began, "We didn't mean to barge in so unexpectedly."

_Except for the fact that we totally did, _the girls thought to themselves. "But we have a problem."

"You see, sensei," Akari continued for her best friend. "A couple weeks ago, we made a bet. The way to win is by popular vote, and we need an easy way to get a group together. Plus there is an odd number in the class, so someone has to win."

The scar-faced teacher sighed outwardly, as he processed their request. "I can't."

Kisa groaned in complaint, as Akari shouted, "What?!"  
"I can't allow you to do such a thing in class. It is unethical. I am sorry."

"But sensei," the girls begged. "We have to perform the bet, or it goes against our nindo; never back down and never go back on our word! We have to go through with the bet." Akari argued.  
"It means everything to us," Kisa added.

Iruka looked up to the ceiling in thought. "I suppose..." he began. "Well, what is this bet about anyway?"

Kisa responded first. "A couple of weeks ago, we made a bet that whoever can do the cooler jutsu will win. If Akari wins, I leave my place and move in with her. If I win, she gives me something precious and takes me out for all you can eat."

The teacher nodded, "Alright. I still can't allow you to do it in class. But I can allow you guys a break... which should give you both enough time to perform your jutsu. Okay?"  
The two girls quickly agreed to the terms he had given them, and bowed gratefully, before racing to the door.  
"Oh and girls," the two children came to a stop in front of the door, turning to face their teacher. "Try not to kill anyone."

* * *

"Ugh." A soft groan followed after a loud thud. "That hurt."  
"You idiot, I told you it was heavy. You never listen."

"You should know by now, he never listen's."  
"Hey! I do too!"

"Keep on telling yourself that, Naruto."  
"Shut up Kisa!"  
"Don't tell me to shut up, idiot!"

"Hey, guys." Akari cut in, making her two best friends face her. "We have to hurry and finish moving Kisa's stuff in. We have training in an hour and then we are going out to eat, remember?"  
Kisa sobered up, and picked up the box Naruto previously dropped. "Dobe," she addressed, as she moved her box into her best friends room, Akari following behind, "I still have a box I need. It has my battle gear and clothes in it. Can you grab it for me?"  
A small grunt of confirmation from Naruto, and a door slamming shut, followed. "Oh and dobe!" Kisa shouted after him. "Don't damage anything!"

There was a feral growl and a crashing sound, causing the girls to laugh.

"You know," Akari began, once she was sure Naruto was out of earshot. "You didn't have to move in. You won the bet."  
Kisa shrugged, as she began unpacking some of her belongings. "I guess you could say, I accomplished what I was aiming for..." She mumbled in response.  
"No you didn't." Akari countered. "You just decided that this was the right thing to do."

The tiger-striped girl sighed loudly. "Stop reading my mind."  
The princess shrugged slightly. "I can't help it. By the way," Akari reached into her back pocket, pulling out a scroll. "I promised you this."

"Wolf..." Kisa murmured.

Akari pricked her thumb, blood pooling on the tip quickly. She swiped the appendage across the thin paper. A poof of smoke rose into the air, quickly being replaced by a heavy metal rod. The seven year old quickly thrust in the tiger girls hand. "I promised, Tora. You deserve it. Besides, I have no use of it."  
Tears filled Tora's eyes, a smile across her face. "Thank you, Okami."

* * *

_"Remember, Akari, this will no be a piece of cake for you. This is a Kekkai Genkai. Only blood relatives will ever posses this ability. And from what you have said, it is rare, even among your clan." Sarutobi wisely stated, staring brightly at the young child across from him.  
"I cannot teach you how it will work, but I can give you a suggestion of how to use it." _

_Akari's eyes widened, as she sat a little straighter. "You have a way to teach me?" _

_"Not exactly." Sarutobi remarked. "Simply a suggestion. I suggest that you begin slowly, and attempt to mix your chakra natures equally together. If they are thrown out of balance, it could possibly cause an opposite effect. Until then, you can also learn to use each nature separately, or blend two of them together. Do you understand?" _

_The jinchuriki nodded, quickly. "Yes, I'll do what you say, Ojii-san." _

* * *

_"Focus!" Hiyori hissed. "Your mind is slipping. This takes energy, patience and your complete concentration."  
Akari growled in annoyance, as she focused her chakra into her palm. "It's hard to focus when you are yelling at me every two minutes!"  
"Yasunari!" Hiyori shouted, "You teach her!"_

The grey-blue wolf stepped forward, and stared between the two. "Give her a point of focus, Yori. And calm down. Both of you are too hot tempered."

_The two females glared at their male counterpart, before turning to face each other. "Fine," The tiger-wolf growled. She moved forward slowly, and touched her nose to the child's palm, pouring chakra into it. She pulled back slightly, to show a small black dot in the center of Akari's palm. "That is your center of focus. Pull all your chakra to that spot and it'll blend together on it's own." _

_"Are you sure?"  
"No."  
"No?!"  
"Well, you can't expect me to know, because it's not my kekkai genkai." _

_"Hiyori!" The calmer wolf growled, "settle down." He quickly turned the attention to his summoner. "And Akari, we cannot be sure. It is not something we have ever done, nor had the ability to do. Only people who can actually use the nature know how it works. We can only give you suggestions and ideas." _

_The jinchuriki princess sighed in defeat. "Alright, I will try." _

_She began again, forcing her chakra straight into her palm. She felt something hard forming, but it was slow and her hand began to prickle and hurt. Still, she continued pushing, until she saw a light blue ball of crystal form in her hand. "It's... so... pretty..." She breathed out, as she began to feel faint. "I think... I know how..." She felt her breathing slow to a painful level and the room began to darken. "I know how... it works..."  
_

_And she fainted. _

* * *

"So, Kisa, tell me a little about yourself." Asuma asked.  
They had just wrapped up training and were slowly making their way to the all-you-can-eat restaurant in Konoha. Each of the teachers had their own questions for their newest student, but Asuma happened to beat them to the questioning.

Kisa blanched, as she turned to face her sensei. "I, well..." She really wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of telling them everything, but she didn't want to lead them to distrust her. "I don't really know how to go about this."

"Just tell us the simple stuff, I suppose. The basics. Go deeper if you would like." Kakashi answered for her, simultaneously easing her mind.  
The tiger girl nodded, looking between Naruto and Akari for support. Shikamaru and Kiba were standing behind her, curiously waiting to learn more about the girl.

"Well, I don't know. I'll start with likes and dislikes, I guess. I like to wrestle, learn jutsu and read. I also like playing pranks and hanging out with Akari and my summons. I really dislike people who are arrogant, and ignorant. That's pretty much it..." She thought hard, before she spoke again. "My goals for the future are to become an amazing kunoichi and my other goal... I would prefer not to mention. Other then that, I guess I should mention what I already have learned about my fighting style. I am a close range to mid-range fighter, with wind being my elemental affinity. I recently was given the gift of a bo-staff as my newest weapon. I learn best with hands on, rather then having it explained to me, but I am also excellent with genjutsu. That's about all."

The teachers nodded appreciatively, while Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru stared at her in shock. Akari just smiled proudly at her best friend. "She really didn't tell you half of it." Akari stated happily. "But then again, me and her train together in secret. So I guess she isn't the only one who is hiding all her true abilities."  
The attention turned to Akari, making her cheerful face quickly turn serious. "I was kidding guys, geez. We just practice perfecting what we have learned is all."

They finally made it to the restaurant and entered quickly, to get a table.

"Well, I am glad we got to learn more about you, Kisa. So, tell us about your summons. How did you acquire them?" Kurenai began to question.

"My mother and father passed them on to me. They died when I was four, but they allowed me to perform the summoning ritual. Kanami and Karisa were the first to show up. They have been with me ever since."

Kurenai nodded. "And tell me about your genjutsu knowledge. You said, and have proven you are fairly good at it. Where did you learn it?"  
At that, Kisa seemed to choke, and nudged Akari to answer for her. "Her mother was a genjutsu expert. Several scrolls on the information was left behind, after her mother passed. She began learning them right away."

That appeased the questions all of the adults could think of. "Well, that's good to know."

"Hey, aren't you girl's birthdays around the same time?" Kakashi asked, suddenly remembering something.  
"Yeah," Akari confirmed. "We are only a day apart, born in the same year and month."

"Interesting..." Gai murmured under his breath, clearly entertained by the two female best friends.  
"Your birthdays are only a month away. You both will be turning ten soon."

The two girls nodded, "Yeah and those three," Akari addressed the three boys she was sitting next to, "will be turning eleven or twelve within the next year."

There was a slight chuckle. "Funny, with your guys' age differences, it would be assumed that you each would graduate in different years. But as it is, you all should be graduating at the same time." Kakashi mumbled. "Which reminds me," the copy-cat ninja turned his attention to a young blonde boy. "I need to teach you the shadow clone jutsu. Or well, a modified version. I'm not supposed to, but your chakra reserves just wont allow for such a low level jutsu."

The blonde gasped, then broke into a wide grin. "Yeah, okay Kakashi-sensei. I only got another year until we graduate. That'll be plenty of time to learn it!"

The others around the table cheered in excitement. The five kids realized they really had a chance at passing this time.

_Kakashi said it himself, _Akari thought to herself, contently. _We don't have much more to learn, for us to be prepared to be a genin. We all really have a chance to pass. I really have a chance to pass this time. Third times a charm, as they say._

Akari smiled brightly. "Third times a charm."

* * *

AN: HOLY SHIT! Guys, I am so, so sorry it took me this long to post the next chapter. I really didn't mean for it to take so long. Honestly, I was really busy, unable to get on a computer, and then there was the accursed writers block. But I FINALLY managed to get somewhere with this chapter, and I think I know exactly how the next one is going to go. I will try my hardest to post chapters more often, but sharing a single computer with three other people, it'll be hard.

BTW: Time skip in this chapter! I don't know if it will line up well, but I was so tired of the slow pace, and decided to speed it up, by fast forwarding it. Last time a mentioned an age, the girls were either seven or eight. Time skip in the next chapter too.

Love you guys!

~Peace love and pixie dust.


	14. Graduation! Relocate the Scroll!

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: _Graduation! Relocate the Scroll! _**

**disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto! All I own is Aguri, Akari, Eiichi, Ryoma, Hayato, Ryuu, Kairi and Yuuma. They are my own original characters. But Naruto, as much as I wish it was, is not mine.

**summary:** Akari is a princess that belongs to every nation. As a princess and as a member of the Shinaho Clan, she is extremely unique. One day, her families compound is attacked and both her parents are brutally murdered by Hayato of the cloud. She goes into an intense state of shock, which is broken when she is kidnapped, by a genjutsu. The genjutsu is broken and she remembers nothing that happened. After, she is forced to stay in Konoha, where they believe she will be safe. But the thing is, is anywhere truly safe from those who seek her power

**a/n:** okay, so I am really not sure what you will think of this story. It all kind of came to me at random, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * *

_Time Skip: One year_

It was a busy day at the Academy, in the early beginnings of summer. The students were openly excited, cheering, yelling and talking about the exam, and who they thought would pass or fail.  
There were five students, however, who were clearly uninterested by the chaos the exam ensued. Recently turned thirteen year old's Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru both looked at each other skeptically, turning to face their other three friends. Twelve year old Uzumaki Naruto smiled brightly, looking between the faces of his four friends. And the two youngest of the group, eleven year old's, Akari and Kisa both sighed dramatically.

"I so don't want to take this exam." Kisa decided. "It's pointless. I know I am ready for genin."  
Shikamaru nodded in agreement with his younger friend. "You're right, but you know we have to do it anyway."

Akari cried out, somewhat dramatically. "Why do we have to take it though? Four jonin have already deemed us worthy of going to the next level."  
Her four best friends weren't fooled by her attempt of talking themselves out of the exam. Kisa could see the dark cloud slowly forming over Akari's head.

"Look, Wolf, you can do it. You can pass." Kisa murmured, so the others could barely hear.  
The jinchuriki nodded shyly, before sighing. "Let's just get it over with."

The five children walked into the school, taking there time. Pushing past the noisy students, they caught the attention of many. Ignoring them, they walked straight to their seats, all within five feet of each other. Kisa and Akari sat in the very back. Naruto sat at the next desk over, on Akari's left. Kiba and Shikamaru both sat in the desk directly in front of the two girls. "Akari, don't freak out so much." Shikamaru said, not looking at her, as he crashed his head into the desk, tiredly. "You'll do fine. I know you are stressed about your parents death, and I know your anxiety for failing in the past is getting to you; but you are so much stronger then you give yourself credit for. You can do this."  
Akari just nodded, not answering as fellow students filed into the room.

Soon after, Iruka entered the room, smiling at the class. "It's your last day of class, everyone. I am pleased to have taught all of you. I know all of you will do well, during this exam. Now," The teacher continued. "Let me explain how this will work. I will call out your names, one at a time. When I do, you are to come down here, and head down the hall to the right. You will be examined there, by several chunin and the hokage. If you pass, you will be handed your hatai-ate. You may wear it where you wish."  
Everyone nodded, or murmured a quiet 'alright' in acknowledgement of their sensei.

"To begin; Haruno, Sakura."

A girl with bright pink hair walked up to the front of the class, and left through the door.

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed, undoubtedly bringing utter boredom upon the students who had yet to be called.  
The three boys in their group, had already managed to pass the exams, though Naruto claimed one of the teachers had tried to fail him anyway. Kisa just walked out of the room, and was back within five minutes. Her hatai-ate was tied loosely around her neck and she smiled happily at Akari.  
Anxiety and dread soon filled the jinchuriki princess, as she remembered her name was always called after Kisa's. Sure enough, Iruka spoke up.  
"Shinaho, Akari."

Her feet dragged under her, as she walked down the stairs to the front of the room. She heard her friends call out to her, cheering her on, but the words slipped through her.  
She stepped through the door, and quickly walked down the hall, feeling her anxiety rise with every step.

_I can't do this, _She thought dejectedly. _I'll just fail, again. _

Stepping into the room, she saw the usual proctors for the examination. "Ms. Shinaho." Mizuki spoke up first. The white haired man had a strange glint in his eye, that she couldn't quite place. But it just fed her anxiety further. "You know the process." He stated, without even telling her what the test was.  
She nodded, as she stood in the middle of the room. _Three clones... that's all... just three, and you're done... _She chanted to herself. But it did little to make her feel better.  
She lifted her hands in front of her, and murmured to herself, "Clone jutsu."

With her anxiety and lack of concentration, she was only able to spit out two clones, both of which failed miserably. The first looked somewhat like herself, but it's face was slammed into the floor. The second was completely shriveled up and totally pale. The built up anxiety and her usage of the jutsu made her sweat profusely, and her breathing was shallow. "I... I can't..." she mumbled.

Mizuki tutted, but shook it off, simply saying, "I am sorry, Akari," he seemed sad about the outcome, "You fail. Please go back to the classroom."

Akari felt tears prickle her eyes, and ran out the door before they had the chance to fall.  
All everyone else saw was a short, brown haired blur running down the hallway.

Kisa ran after her.

* * *

Half an hour later, Akari sat on the balcony of the second floor of the academy. She knew her friends were looking for her by now, but she just couldn't show her face.  
All she could think of was her parents. Memories of them, what they had planned for her, what she remembered... what they remembered.

Her depression increasingly rose as she remembered their plan for her to graduate early. To train under Aguri, and become apart of the guard until her twelfth birthday, where she was going to either be instated into ANBU, as a jonin, or stay chunin for another few years, if she decided.  
She cried.

_God, I miss them, _She said to herself. _We had so much planned and I failed. I can't even make it to genin... I'm hopeless. _

She felt the tears streaming down her face, and let out a silent scream. She couldn't do anything right.

_I need to get stronger. _

**_And how exactly, do you plan to do that? _**

She gasped. She had heard that voice several times over the years, but it had been silent for some time now. She had more or less, assumed that the connection just left. Akari had, over time, decided to simply call it her conscious, because she still couldn't communicate with it, and it only said things at important times.  
Hearing the deep, rustic voice was indeed, unexpected.

"Sitting up here, all alone?" Someone spoke up from behind her.  
The young jinchuriki turned her head too look up and see a warm face and white hair.  
"Mizuki-sensei." She answered. "I was just thinking is all."

The teacher nodded, giving the girl a warm smile. "I am sorry I had to fail you." He sighed when Akari flinched. "But I wanted to tell you... I have a way. It's more of an extracurricular activity and I could only trust one student who failed, to the task."

"Why have I never heard of such an activity before?" Akari questioned, tears still streaking down her face, though calmer.

"It was meant to be kept a secret. Each year, Hokage-sama picks a single mission for a student who may have failed do to inability to perform the jutsu, anyway. I know that for years, you have been unable to perform the clone jutsu, yet you are amazing in ninjutsu. Which meant you had to take that test. But, I decided you deserved and could be most trusted with this task."  
Akari nodded, slightly, seeming to understand. _Although I have never been incapable of performing the clone jutsu. That was only Naruto. I could do it, but it's still difficult.  
_Still, she took in the praise and warmed up slightly to the idea.

"I am sure you have heard of the Hokage Scroll of Sealing?" Mizuki questioned, Akari nodded slightly.  
"Yes, it has several forbidden jutsu in it." Mizuki nodded.

"The Hokage has requested that it be moved from its original location, as it's current placement has been compromised. Can you bring it to me, secretly?"  
_It seems a bit strange, but I suppose it does make sense. If the location was compromised, they would want someone seemingly ordinary to get in and get out undetected. No one would even know it happened. _

"I suppose if the mission was given by the hokage, I can do it."

She didn't notice the glint in the mans eyes, or his demented smile. She only had one thing on her mind. Graduating.

* * *

An eleven year old girl quickly crept through the shadows, racing towards a small clearing in the forest. She was told to meet Mizuki near by, but there was something she wanted to do beforehand.  
Sitting in the middle of the clearing, she quickly unrolled the scroll and took a look at the contents inside.

_This is really interesting... _She thought, taking in all of the jutsu. Finally, she came across the one she wanted.

Shadow Clone Jutsu. Better yet, she found the one she really wanted. Kishou Tensi- One's Life Resurrection.

* * *

Two hours later, Akari made it to the meeting place in Konoha forest, where she would hand over the scroll to Mizuki.

She hide in the bushes, scroll securely wrapped up in her school bag. There was a slight thud, as something hit a nearby tree, and an all too familiar voice. "Akari," the voice whispered. "You can come out now."

Slowly, Akari slipped out of her hiding place and stepped out in front of her sensei. "I got the scroll." She said, but made no movement to take it out. She has heard, just moments before she came to meet the teacher, that someone had _stolen _the scroll of sealing. She couldn't be sure who to trust.

She wanted Mizuki to prove his good intentions.

When she didn't hand over the scroll right away, he scowled and she picked up on a dark glint in his eyes. A glint she had seen earlier before she took the exam. She was finally able to place that look.

"Ojii-san never actually assigned this mission, did he?"

The man in front of her let out a laugh. Not a friendly one, but one that sounded harsh and cruel. "So the demon brat thinks she is close to the lord hokage?" He practically spat out his amusement. "We both know what you are, kid. A demon. You're no better then the other one and have no right to associate yourself so closely with our leader."

His words were harsh, slapping the child in the face. But when Mizuki bad talked Naruto, she couldn't contain herself. Her anger took her over. "You bastard." She growled. The white haired man grinned proudly at his work.

"You see?" He shouted. "You're nothing but a monster."

The child grit her teeth, her anger boiling over, the sanbi's chakra mixing with her own. The chunin took his chance.

He pulled out a fuma shiruken and while the jinchuriki princess was still immobilized by her anger, he through the projectile.

Blood spurtted out as it cut into flesh. Akari's eyes, which she had closed in brief shock, opened to take in the situation. Iruka-sensei was over her, face to face. And he was bleeding.

"Eh?" She questioned, not fully understanding.

Iruka smiled at his student. "A..." he gasped in pain, "...Kari."

The girls eyes widened, as Iruka fell on her. "Sensei?"

She pushed his body off her and rolled him over, removing the weapon from his back. "Sensei?!" She began to panic.

She shook him wildy, Mizuki's screeching laughter filling the background.

"SENSEI!?"

* * *

AN: Okayyy... hey guys! Told you I would try to update soon. :) hope you guys like it. Mind you, I had to write part of thid on my kindle, so it may suck or make little to no sense, but I tried. Ill fix any screw ups later and all that.

Sorry about the cliffhanger by the way xD I just wanted the chapter to be done. Enjoy! Please review. :) by the way, for flamers, don't bother. You will be ignored, deleted and blocked. I dont have a problem with criticism, but give me a reason why. And not because you dont like OC stories or cause it isnt focused on Naruto. And if it is about the whole seemingly Mary Sue thing, (which I totally dont see) that will be clewred up later. My ocs are NOT the strongest characters. Strong? Yeah. Strongest? Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru are all getting stronger too. My characters arent gods. They will get beat up and they will have there moments where they are totally torn apart.

Thanks.

And thanks to my supporters and all that. :)

~Peace, love and pixie dust.


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